The set-works to be used at the Belgian National Championships later this year have been announced.

The event will be held on the weekend of 24th/25th November at the Cultural Center Zwaneberg in Heist-op-den-Berg.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first championships in 1978, the organisers have selected both old and new compositions.

REwrite Relapse

The Championship Section contenders will perform 'REwrite Relapse' by Stan Nieuwenhuis — a brand new 16-minute work that will be released on 12th June.

Regarded as one of European banding's rising compositional stars, the 2015 European Composer Competition winner's pieces have already been extensively performed, with 'REwrite Relapse' gaining second prize in the 2016/17 Swiss Brass Band Association composition competition.

Inspired by the ever changing complexities and conflicts of opinion of the modern world, Nieuwenhuis questions how long will a sense of a progressive positivity last in the face of increasing negative reactions — the contrast between a peaceful everyday existence and the enormous tensions in the world we all live in explored throughout the work.

He states: "REwrite stands for a renewed sense of hope, and the ability to remain positive time and time again without relapsing into bad habits. The REwrite theme is consonant, filled with warm harmonies, whilst the RElapse element is dissonant, strict and capricious."

Thyellene

The First Section contenders will perform Kevin Houben's 'Thyellene' (The Battle on the Heath).

Originally written in 2009 it was a prize winner at that year's European Championship Composer Competition.

At just over nine minutes in length it's inspired by the 1597 battle that took place on the Tielenheide — a stretch of moorland near the Belgian village of Tielen, where against the odds the forces of Prince Maurice of Nassau, commander of the Dutch army, defeated Count Varax, a general of the Spanish army.

In Flanders Field

'In Flanders Fields' by Roger Deronge is the 12 minute work that will be presented by the Second Section bands.

Deronge played with Brass Band Willebroek and Brass Band Buizingen and is a respected brass and ensemble teacher at music academies in Tervuren and Oud-Heverlee.

'In Flanders Fields' was inspired by the well-known poem of John McCrae and pays tribute to those who fell during the 1914-18 Great War.

Inspired by the ever changing complexities and conflicts of opinion of the modern world, Nieuwenhuis questions how long will a sense of a progressive positivity last in the face of increasing negative reactions4BR

Suite for Brass

Jan Segers' 'Suite for Brass' is the oldest work to be showcased and will be played by bands in the Third Section.

Written in 1974, it won the Province of Antwerpen compositional prize. The four movement work has since been used many times as a test piece.

The composer has enjoyed a very long career as Director of the Music Academy in Willebroek since 1960, and in 1978 was appointed Professor of Band Conducting at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels.

A small fragment of the first movement was used for years as the signature tune for the popular radio programme, 'Around the Bandstand'.

Test pieces

Championship Section: REwrite Relapse (Stan Nieuwenhuis)
First Section: Thyellene (The Battle on the Heath) (Kevin Houben)
Second Section: In Flanders Fields (Roger Derongé)
Third Section: Suite for Brass (Jan Segers)