Report & Result: 2025 European Championship Challenge Section

Brass Band Uberetsch reclaims the title for Italy with a display for dual excellence and purpose.

The joy of becoming a European Champion was displayed in fraternal fashion on the stage of Stavanger Konserthus on Saturday evening, as the MDs, players and supporters of Brass Band Willebroek and Brass Band Uberetsch took turns to have their pictures taken and sing songs of triumph with their trophies.

In between there was also time to acknowledge each other's achievements after the Belgian's ended an 18 year wait for a fourth title, whilst the Italians claimed their second in three years under the baton of Johann Finatzer.

Clear victor

It was a clear victor for judges Allan Withington and Bert van Thienen; the margin of three points from Downshire Brass from Northern Ireland, with the Norwegian representatives of Gjesdal Brass a further three points back, a true indicator of their impressive musical authority.

Ambitious and driven, the band from Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol in the north of the country has quickly become one of the great success stories of the Challenge Section — an event that although once again reduced in number this year, was not short on musical quality from the three contenders.

Current as well as future aspirations to join Willebroek in the Championships Section were certainly tested by the set-work, 'Embracing Duality' by Norwegian composer Ingebjorg Vilhelmsen, which offered a depiction of Hel, the half living, half dead ruler of the Norse underworld.

Dorothy Parker in the afterlife

A composition of intriguing contrasts, questions and counterbalances, it packed a great deal into its compact 10 minute structure that some of the composers of the blockbuster own-choices in the Championships Section could have learnt from. As we have heard with other works from her pen, Vilhelmsen's orchestration has a bold invention that has a fresh leanness of focussed purpose.

As a tone poem portrait it was thrillingly dark, acerbic and mischievous — like meeting a Nordic Dorothy Parker in the afterlife.

Wow factor

Uberetsch in particular captured the dichotomies of mortal vibrancy and cold decay; the judgemental balance between good and evil captured with a symphonic sounding sweep, technical verve and musical understanding in both solo and ensemble lines. It really did have that wow factor touch.

They followed it with a well-defined rendition of 'Tallis Variations', which once again displayed their stylish intentions in a spacious account created by the MD. As with the set-work, Sparke's skill in providing ample musical substance without recourse to needless exploration still provided scope for a band of increasing maturity (certainly from Malmo) to shine.

"We are very happy and now wish to build even further," their MD later told 4BR, whilst their fine solo trombone player Julius Michael Waldner who deservedly took the 'Best Soloist' award added: "Italian banding is growing, especially in our region. We wish to be at the front of course but we know we have to work so hard to do that. Now we celebrate."

And they did — long into the Stavanger night.

Downshire brace

So too runner-up, Downshire Brass from Northern Ireland led by Prof Michael Alcorn, after they showcased their growing development at this level with a brace of finely structured performances.

Although the set-work didn't quite have the same feral darkness displayed by the winners, it certainly captured its contrasts and drama with some cracking lead line playing (especially principal cornet Hannah Calderwood) and solid ensemble security.

Their performance of 'A King's Lie' by Stan Nieuwenhuis was even better — the MD drawing the storyboard narrative of Floris and Blanchflour forward to its 'happy ever after' conclusion with ever increasing purpose and excitement.

Bold Gjesdal

Although Gjesdal Brass Band's own-choice selection of 'The Impermanence of the Flow' had no specific narrative line, the Norwegians' boldly showcased its inventiveness (at one point the flugel manipulating the pedal of a timpani with her foot as she playing her instrument into the skin) in super fashion.

And even though a little more brittle in execution than their rivals, their neatly directed portraiture of Hel in 'Embracing Duality' by Jonas Skartveit Rogne, had a lighter touch of mischievous questioning.

Relevance

With just the three bands this year (only one of which came from a country not represented in the Championships Section), the Challenge Section also seems poised between life and death at present.

It will be for EBBA not Hel to decide its ultimate fate, but unless it can find new life it may well be facing a future of questionable relevance.

Iwan Fox