Winner: Cory — 'Titan's Progress' (National Championship)
2. Eikanger Bjorsvik — 'Dear Cassandra...' (Set work: European Championship)
3. Cory — 'The Jungle Book' (Brass in Concert Championship)
There were many truly memorable performances to savour this year on the contest stage at all levels, but these three stood out for our panel — led by Cory's stunning rendition of 'Titan's Progress' to win the National title at the Royal Albert Hall.
Philip Harper created a heroic portrait of the protagonist — one that grew in stature from first note until last and which saw it received with universal acclaim in the old cake tin. Mahler would have been proud.
It gained 5 winning votes from our panel (and was in our top 3 in ten of them) to pip the stunning rendition of Ludovic Neurohr's 'Dear Cassandra...', performed by Eikanger Bjorsvik under Ingar Bergby at the European Championship in Montreux (which gained 4 winning votes and was in the top 3 of 10 judges).
In complete musical contrast though was Cory's sublimely clever interpretation of elements of Kipling's 'Jungle Book' at Brass in Concert which gained 3 winning preferences to come third with the Welsh band's rendition of 'Explorers on the Moon ' in Montreux also getting an honourable mention.
Philip Harper created a heroic portrait of the protagonist — one that grew in stature from first note until last and which saw it received with universal acclaim in the old cake tin. Mahler would have been proud4BR Editor Iwan Fox
Past Winners:
2018: Manger Musikklag (Siddis Entertainment Championship)
2017: Eikanger Bjorsvik — Fraternity (European Championship)
2016: Cory — The Triumph of Time (British Open Championships)
2015: Cory — Spiriti (National Championship)
2014: Brass Band Bugermusik Luzern — Trance (Swiss National Championship)
2013: Tredegar — Arabian Nights (Fantasy on Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade for Brass Band) (British Open Championship)
2012: Foden's — Daphnis et Chloe (National Championship)
2011: Cory — Red Priest (British Open Championship)
2010: Fairey (Geneva) — Eden (English National Championships)
2009: Fountain City Brass Band — Dreams (Scottish Open Championship)
2008: Eikanger Bjorsvik — Riffs & Interludes (Norwegian Championship)
2007: Brass Band Oberosterreich — Titan's Progress (European Championship)
2006: Black Dyke — Vienna Nights (British Open)
2005: Black Dyke — Journey to the Centre of the Earth (European Championship)
2004: Black Dyke — Montage (British Open)
2003: Buy As You View Cory — Revelation (European Championship)
2002: Yorkshire Building Society — Concerto Grosso (European Championship)
2001: Foden's — Les Preludes (British Open)
Panel:
The Awards Panel consisted of: Iwan Fox (Editor 4BR); Malcolm Wood (Chief Contributor); Andrew Wainwright (Writer/Composer/Arranger/Graphic Designer/Journalist); Gordon Simpson (statistician Brass Band World magazine); Chris Thomas (Chief Contributor Brass Band World magazine); Kenny Crookston (CEO, Brass Bands England); Frode Rydland (EBBA Music Commission/soprano cornet Bjorsvik Brass); David Hirst (Conductor/Association of Brass Band Adjudicators); Alexander Zwann (Chief contributor CU Brass); Tom Davoren (conductor/composer); Tim Mutum (writer/brass band recording and history specialist); Owen Melhuish (President: North Shore Brass New Zealand); David Gallaher (Director of Air Force Music — Royal New Zealand Air Force Band)
