Winner: Vaughan Williams on Brass (Tredegar Band)
2. Mangnitude (Manger Musikklag)
3. The World Rejoicing (Black Dyke)
So much to enjoy with all the nominee entries this year, but one release stood out from the others in the terms of its scope, ambition and excellence.
Vaughan Williams on Brass from Tredegar Band also made a significant mark in a wider sphere too — reaching number 2 in the Classical CD releases charts, gaining widespread critical acclaim and being lauded for its excellence of interpretation, production and performance — from conductors Martyn Brabbins and Ian Porthouse, band, producer Paul Hindmarsh and featured soloist Ross Knight.
It gained 13 first choice preferences from our panel and two other nominations to be the overwhelming winner.
Manger Musikklag's 100th anniversary celebration CD, 'Mangnitude' gained 3 first preference votes and nine other nominations to come runner-up, with Black Dyke's 'World Rejoicing', (1 first preference and seven other nominations) the last release of their long term project featuring the music of Edward Gregson was third.
The quality of the releases also nominations for Cory's 'October', Foden's 'King of Swing', Ensemble of the Golden Bough's 'British Folk Music', Grimethorpe's, 'Kashmiri Song', Kaffeeschranzchen's 'UnglauBlech' and the ISB's 'Powerhouse'.
Panel:
The Awards Panel consisted of:
Iwan Fox (editor 4BR); Michael Bach (conductor/adjudicator); Kerry Baldwin (player/regional development executive ABRSM); Sarah Groarke Booth (conductor/adjudicator); Anne Crookston (conductor/adjudicator); David Gallaher (conductor/adjudicator); David Hirst (player/conductor/adjudicator); Owen Melhuish (New Zealand BBA); Tim Mutum (writer/brass band recording and history specialist); Gordon Simpson (statistician Brass Band World magazine); Stein Skorpholm (Norwegian broadcaster/presenter); Chris Thomas (chief contributor BBW magazine/4BR contributor); Camilla Soderstrom Tveit (player/adjudicator); Luc Vertommen (conductor/adjudicator/arranger); Andrew Wainwright (composer/arranger/designer); Malcolm Wood (4BR chief contributor); Alexander Zwann (chief contributor CU Brass).
Past Winners:
2021: Festmusik — A Legacy (Onyx Brass)
2020: Gregson: Music of the Angels
2019: The Music of Bliss & Howells (Brighouse & Rastrick)
2018: Metropolis (Black Dyke)
2017: Dances & Arias (Black Dyke)
2016: War Memorials (Cory Band & Tredegar Band)
2015: Dark Arteries (Tredegar Band)
2014: Gaia Symphony (Eikanger Bjorsvik)
2013: When Worlds Collide: The Music of Nigel Clarke (Brass Band Buizingen)
2012: Masquerade (Foden's)
2011: Only for You: The Music of Paul Lovatt-Cooper (Black Dyke)
2010: Romeo & Juliet (Eikanger Bjorsvik)
2009: Maestro (Foden's)
2008: New Music for Brass Band (Foden's)
2007: Vienna Nights (Black Dyke)
2006: Heaton: Volume 4 (Black Dyke)
2005: Tales and Stories (Eikanger Bjorsvik)
2004: Music of the Spheres (Yorkshire Building Society)
2003: Bourgeois in Brass (Yorkshire Building Society)
2002: The Heaton Collection (Black Dyke and the ISB)
2001: Butterworth (Black Dyke)
