The epicentre of elite level contesting is now to be found in a small rehearsal hall in the Swiss canton of Valais.

It is home to Brass Band Treize Etoiles — an ensemble that displayed the full panoply of their stunningly polished talents in retaining the Champion Band of Europe title over two absorbing days of competition in Palanga.

Victory for the Swiss National and Open Champion was richly deserved after a twin discipline battle that saw the contest winning fortunes of leading contenders ebb and flow in the opinions of both those listening, but critically, as well as those adjudicating.

Brilliance and maturity

However, as shown with their appearance at RNCM International Brass Band Festival in Manchester in January, Treize Etoiles and MD Frederic Theodoloz are a combination of youthful brilliance and resilient maturity.

Together they possess the rarest of abilities to mix musical beauty as well as dynamic brawn in an intoxicating chrome sheen palette of colour, balance and texture.

Fourth place on the set-work, 'A Road Less Travelled By' was followed by first place on the exotically scored own-choice of 'Karma' by Ludovic Neurohr. Crucially, the latter enabled them to secure a decisive two-point winning margin over Eikanger Bjorsvik Musikklag, with Brass Band Willebroek a point further back in third.

As has been the underpinning foundation as arguably the best band in the world in the past 18 months, preparations will immediately start for their trip to the British Open in September (and again in 2025 due to this victory.)

They will come after winning their last five major contest outings and haven't been beaten since 2022. They will be a band not to miss at Symphony Hall.

Admiration

Following the announcement of the result, their MD Frederic Theodoloz was almost speechless in admiration of his band. "They are simply fantastic. Just fantastic," he said. "They do everything for me. I cannot ask for more, but I do and they still give it for me."

His own openness to develop as a conductor alongside his band has seen them with Prof David King and more recently with Russell Gray in preparing for this event.

Small elements of their approaches were evident in their twin performances, although it was very much his musical DNA that embossed the veneer of persuasive musicality and technical brilliance of his players, from soprano to tuba, and especially through the leadership of principal cornet Mathilde Roh.

Their delighted spokesperson later told 4BR: "We are very proud to bring back the European Championship trophy to Switzerland for the second time in a row. We also thank all our supporters and congratulate the other prize winners."

No podium Brits

The result also meant that for the first time in the contest's history no British band claimed a podium finish. Tredegar was fourth ahead of Brass Band Schoonhoven in fifth with Brighouse & Rastrick in sixth.

The UK's representatives in Stavanger in 2025 (Foden's, Cory and the cooperation band) will be under no illusion to the magnitude of the task that lies ahead if that Swiss epicentre is to be moved even a few musical metres back toward banding's motherland.

Hot Friday afternoon

On a hot Friday afternoon, Philip Sparke's subtle, deceptive test-piece caused problems for all the competitors.

And so did the stage acoustic of Palanga Concert Hall, which saw players and conductors admit to finding great difficulty in immediately mastering.

It also gave listeners in the wide 2200 seat expanse an unfamiliar aural experience — the low brass sounds rolling rather than rampaging off the vast stage, even at full dynamic tilt.

Crisp fried bread

As crisply dry as one of the cold fried-bread snacks on offer in the refreshment tent opposite, it was certainly apparent in connecting the sinewy lines and syntax links of the opening movement.

Balance issues between ensemble and solo lines (notably the flugel) in the central section were also noted, as was wayward ensemble cohesiveness in the romp of the third part of the work.

The judges (Margie Antrobus, Thomas Ludescher and Bertrand Moren) later revealed though that the musical difficulties (technical as well as interpretive) were still clearly heard in the box perched on the first tier.

France leads

It meant that it saw day one end with a controlled Hauts-de-France in front, ahead of a detailed Tredegar (who had the pick of the flugel soloists in their ranks), with the rounded warmth of Willebroek in third (who used the familiarity of the hall having played here a few months ago to fine effect).

Each of the top-six was separated by a point; a precision infused Treize Etoile in fourth, ahead of a slightly uneven Eikanger Bjorsvik and Schoonhoven, with Luzern and Brighouse (who had many an admirer in the hall if not the box) behind.

Very different problem

The second day also highlighted a very different problem: Just how on earth do you compare performances of such diversely inspired works, invariably so brilliantly played?

There were of course minor clips and errors in even the very best (with more noted structural problems and concerns in others), but surely the time has come to review how this element is adjudicated.

Having three judges asked to display the wisdom of Solomon to pick a winner has now become an impossible comparative own-choice task.

LSD trip

In the end Thomas Doss, Andrew Duncan and David Thornton opted for Treize Etoile's scintillating account of 'Karma' (the work used by them in winning the 2023 Swiss National) — featuring a handpan, 11 different types of drums and cymbals and everything from an aqua Koshi to xylophone with all things in-between to add to the brilliance of the ensemble and solo brass playing.

It was like being taken on an ineffable LSD trip not unlike the fantastical imaginings of Simon Dobson's 'Jesus in Tibet' by Eikanger, which opened with sensuous trombone solo from Vidar Nordli that gave him the 'Best Soloist' award and ending with soprano Jon-Vega Sundal piercing the air like the jet engine scream of a MiG jet.

Both were simply mind-blowingly brilliant.

Talking point

The talking point though came with the theatrical brilliance of Peter Graham's 'Z 1920 — Scenes from a Silent Movie' played (and directed) with swashbuckling bravura by Brighouse & Rastrick.

It was certainly 'a concert work with difficult bits' (and more), as the composer paraphrased Prof King had asked for, and what it perhaps lacked in serious depth of exploration it made up in bags of colourful characterisation.

The judges placed it third — and whilst others had it as a winner, just as many had it as an intriguing curiosity.

However, unlike Zorro leaving his indelible signature mark on the chops of vanquished foes, in the end it left a wry smile of enjoyment.

Diversity

Such diversity of inspiration saw Schoonhoven's atmospheric 'The Falcon in the Snow' written by Paul Saggers end fourth (inspired by the tragic tale of Captain Scoot's ill fated expedition to the South Pole) with Willebroek's evocative 'Sand and Stars' in fifth and Luzern's exciting 'Cataclysms' (reflecting trio of catastrophic natural disaster phenomena) in sixth.

Each was played with splendid certainty and understanding of purpose, commanding ensemble work and artistic soloists. On another day any of them could have ended higher.

Fell away

Meanwhile the two bands that held the top spots on the first day fell away.
Tredegar just tired and became scrappy pushing themselves to the limit on Ludovic Neurohr's 'Dear Cassandra'. It saw them end seventh, leaving them just out of the top three come the overall results.

Hauts-de-France meanwhile suffered too many major problems on 'Sand and Stars' to somewhat dramatically finish last.

Social media conspiracy eyebrows were certainly raised after the announcement in the disparate nature of their two results (1st and 12th) — but there were few complaints from those in the band those who knew exactly what went wrong on the day.

Impressive quality

Elsewhere, Brass Band Burgermusik Luzern showed consistency but perhaps lacked their usual energised sparkle to eventually finish seventh overall despite a coruscating account of 'Cataclysms' (which came 6th).

It placed them ahead of 3BA Concert Brass (who performed 'Weeping Willow' — the first work written by a Japanese composer to be featured at the event), Brass Band Oberosterreich ('The Triumph of Time'), Gota ('Fraternity') and Concord ('Sand and Stars') — all of whom gave performances over the two days of impressive quality.

None though could quiet match Brass Band Treize Etoiles — the pre-eminent contesting ensemble in the world, and whose home in a quiet corner of a Swiss canton is now the epicentre from which they continue to send musical shock waves across the globe.

Iwan Fox

Together they possess the rarest of abilities to mix musical beauty as well as dynamic brawn in an intoxicating chrome sheen palette of colour, balance and texture4BR

Result:

Championship Section:

Adjudicators:
Set Work: Bertrand Moren, Margie Antrobus, Thomas Ludescher
Own Choice: Andrew Duncan, David Thornton, Thomas Doss

Set Work: A Road Less Travelled By (Philip Sparke)
Set Work/Own Choice = Total

1. Brass Band Treize Etoiles (Frederic Theodoloz): 95/98 = 193
Karma — Concerto No 20 for Brass Band (Ludovic Neurohr)

2. Eikanger-Bjorsvik Musikklag (Florent Didier): 94/97 = 191
Jesus in Tibet (Simon Dobson)

3. Brassband Willebroek (Frans Violet): 96/94 = 190
Sand and Stars (Thierry Deleruyelle)

4. Tredegar Band (Ian Porthouse): 97/91 = 188*
Dear Cassandra... — Concerto No. 14 for Brass Band (Ludovic Neurohr)

5. Brass Band Schoonhoven (Erik Janssen): 93/95 = 188
The Falcon in the Snow (Paul Saggers)

6. Brighouse & Rastrick (Prof David King): 91/96 = 187
Z 1920 — Scenes from a Silent Movie (Peter Graham)

7. Brassband Burgermusik Luzern (Michael Bach): 92/92 = 184
Cataclysms (Roland Szentpali)

8. Hauts-de-France Brass Band (Luc Vertommen): 98/85 = 183
Sand and Stars (Thierry Deleruyelle)

9. 3BA Concert Band (Corsin Tuor): 90/88 = 178*
Weeping Willow (Hitoshi Takahashi)

10. Brass Band Oberosterreich (Gunther Reisegger): 89/89 = 178
The Triumph of Time (Peter Graham)

11. Gota Brass Band (Michael Thomsen): 88/87 = 175
Fraternity (Thierry Deleruyelle)

12. Concord Brass Band (Jesper Juul Windahl): 87/86 = 173
Sand and Stars (Thierry Deleruyelle)

Best Soloist: Vidar Nordli (trombone) — Eikanger-Bjorsvik Musikklag

*Set Work placing takes precedence in event of a tie