2026 National Finals test-pieces announced

Works by Philip Sparke, Andrew Wainwright, Eric Ball, Thierry Deleruyelle and Peter Graham will challenge the Albert Hall and York Barbican finalists.

The test-pieces to be performed at the finals of the 2026 National Championships of Great Britain have been announced by Kapitol Promotions.

Championship Section:

In what is becoming a memorable 75th birthday year for composer Philip Sparke, his work, 'A Road Less Travelled By' will be played by the Championship Section finalists at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 3rd October.

It will be the first time in UK banding history that one composer has provided the test-pieces for the British Open and National Championships in the same year following the earlier announcement that 'Music of the Spheres' would be used at the Symphony Hall event.

It will also be the fourth time that his works have been used at the Royal Albert Hall, following 'Harmony Music' (1987), 'Between the Moon and Mexico' (1998) and 'Music for Battle Creek' (2007).

'A Road Less Travelled By' was commissioned by Palangos Orkestras for the Championship Section of the 2020 European Brass Band Championships held in Palanga, Lithuania. The cancellation of the event meant that it received its premiere at the contest in 2024.

The title alludes to a poem by American author, Robert Frost, which appeared in his 1916 collection, 'Mountain Intervals'.

First Section:

Andrew Wainwright's 'Beyond the Falls — The Smoke That Thunders' will challenge the First Section bands in York in September.

The 12-minute work references the journey of David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer whose expeditions from 1841 until his death in 1873 took him deep into the interior of the African continent.

While his initial aim was to spread Christianity and commerce, his legacy became defined by his relentless spirit of discovery, and that as the first European to set eyes on 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' (The Smoke that Thunders), which he renamed 'Victoria Falls'.

Second Section:

Eric Ball wrote the chorale song, 'A Prayer for Courage' around the eve of the Second World War.

In 1962 it formed the thematic inspiration along with 'Stand Like the Brave' for his tone poem 'Song of Courage', part of the SPS Festival Series of publications.

It is a work of many varied moods — joy, fear and courage amongst them, as Britain faced the growing menace of fascism. The chorus 'Stand like the brave' typifies the call to action in the face of danger, and 'A prayer for courage' is a reminder of Christian fortitude.

This new contest edition of 'Song of Courage' has been prepared specifically for the contest.

Third Section:

Deleruyelle's 'Snow Island' was commissioned by the Cantonal Associations of Valais, Bern, Jura, Geneva, Solothurn and Innerschweiz in 2024 and is a celebration of the Swiss canton of Valais — home to many brass bands.

Valais is also renowned as a ski resort — the 'Island of Snow' based around the area of Crans-Montana.

The work depicts the dynamism of the resort through a lively first section, followed by a more reflective central element before finishing in a blazing coda finale.

Fourth Section:

'Heroes of the North' was commissioned by Henning Annundsen for Skodvin Skulemusikk and pays tribute to the development of brass band activity in the Nordhordland region of Norway.

The music is a set of character five variations inspired by leading brass band personalities who have done so much to inspire the wider Norwegian banding movement: 'Mr Brevik's Galop'; 'Frode's Dance'; 'Mr Bjørge's Walk'; 'Hymn for Knut-Harald', and 'Maestro Snell's Russian Adventure'.

It will be the first time in UK banding history that one composer has provided the test-pieces for the British Open and National Championships in the same year4BR