Russell Gray's musical vision in moulding a British Open winning performance of compelling emotional stature was rewarded not only by victory for Foden's, but by the most telling endorsement of its veracity from those who judged it.

It was led by adjudicator Martyn Brabbins who flew in from conducting the Malmo Symphony Orchestra in Sweden to appreciate a level of musical insight from the Scotsman on Philip Sparke's 'Music of the Spheres' that he revealed had "made him cry" in capturing "real human emotion."

Aspire to move people

His eloquent pre-result remarks also touched on the elemental aspect of what he felt was the conductor's job in 'enabling' players to produce music that should "aspire to move people". In Foden's case it gave him and colleagues Arsene Duc and David Hirst, "a really lovely moment in the day", and one which he later stated saw them as a "clear winner".

For Russell Gray that meant also as much as the victory itself. "That's very humbling," the Mortimer Maestro Trophy winner told 4BR on stage. "What Martyn Brabbins spoke about and what I've now heard from the judges makes all the hard work with this great band so worthwhile."

He added: "It's always about the music and emotion it creates for me, so to hear the appreciation of that and for the way in which these incredible players do what I ask of them, means so much. It's a real privilege to work with Mike Fowles and a group of musicians of this quality time and time again."

Intensity and quality

As the final contender in a contest long in duration but never anything less than absorbing in intensity and quality, it saw Foden's claim a 14th title exactly a century after they first lifted the 102 year old Gold Shield.

Behind them came performances that also drew on the emotional rather than technical core of the score, as Brass Band Willebroek and Brighouse & Rastrick claimed the remaining podium places ahead of top-six finishers Sydney City Brass, Leyland and Hepworth.

Martyn Brabbins also endorsed the judges' collective belief that Philip Sparke's test-piece still retained its hallmark as an elite level challenge, 22 years after it was first played. "We had a fantastic day. We all knew what Philip expected and came with a clear understanding. We didn't have a perfect performance today — which is a kind of testament to a great piece."

Real class

He added: "Anything technical and fast, bands do so easily. What really set the real class bands apart was the slow, quiet, simple music".

Foden's came closest though as the judges' immediate written summations showed.

"A fabulous conclusion," Brabbins wrote in his summing up, adding; "Thank you so much one and all, but I must thank the musical maturity of the conductor in particular". David Hirst described it as, "a very good performance with much to commend", as he noted the contributions of the soloists throughout and "the nice nuances"from the MD.

Arsene Duc meanwhile thanked the "great soloists" (Richard Poole claimed his fourth Brian Evans 'Best Soprano' award with Mark Wilkinson taking his first Phillip McCann 'Best Cornet' accolade) and offered "a big bravo to the MD", for "this fantastic performance", where "all is controlled" with "respect of the music written".

Subtleties, detail, finesse

A little later the trio spoke with 4BR on the live-stream broadcast where they detailed further appreciations and overall concerns — especially in highlighting the success with Foden's in displaying what Martyn Brabbins called, "the subtleties, the attention to detail and the finesse". It was he said, "Clearly the winner. They delivered in a really special way."

Problems though for others they said came with inconsistent speed control, especially in the closing 'The Unknown' section marked 144 — the same as the opening 'Big Bang', but with no written accelerando or calibration in the score. (Some bands were up in the 160 plus territory to close).

"Tempo is important," he added, "but the problem with the fast tempo wasn't that it wasn't 144, but that it wasn't stable, so it was always being pushed... and then it sounds chaotic. They want to impress, but it's not the Olympic Games. Music doesn't work like that — you have to respect the context."

Icing on the cake

David Hirst, who has long spoken about bands at the top level relying on technique rather than musicality, was equally direct. "The technical stuff was very good — sometimes it went a little too far in tempo but was the slow pieces that really made the differences, and those nuances with Foden's were just the icing on the cake."

Arsene Duc also touched on tempo choices, especially in the end section, in adding; "The solo playing was really great. Some bands maybe wanted to go faster, but it is very clear in the score."

Although the publication of the full results soon had social media buzzing with the usual slew of opinions, the detailed pre-contest preparation of the judges made for consistency in their ultimate findings. The trio in the box had spoken at length with the composer and so knew exactly what was required.

Front-loaded

There was also an early morning buzz of anticipation after the draw was published, with a front-loaded first half of the contest that saw at least five heavyweight contenders lined up in their bid to break a contest hoodoo.

No band since 1954 (when Munn & Felton won off number 1) had triumphed drawn in the first five to play — a record extended by another year, despite a wonderfully considered performance from defending champion Brighouse & Rastrick off number 3 that set a hugely impressive high bar for rivals to beat.

Opened with wonderful composure by 'Best Soloist' winner Andy Moore on horn, Prof David King brought detail and subtility to what he called "a fresh palette" approach to a work he commissioned 22 years ago.

Described by the judges in their written remarks as having "great character" drawn from the MD, on a "superb interpretation" with "bravura virtuosity and refined solo playing", just a few minor errors made it beatable. It was one heck of a title defence though.

Vociferous fans

With the likes of Grimethorpe (drawn 2), Cory (4), Black Dyke (and 5) and Flowers (7) failing to make the same type of impression in the box as they did with some pretty vociferous fans in the hall, the West Riding band was clearly ahead at the halfway point of the contest.

Those players and supporters (for these and other contenders) who grumbled long into the night in Broad Street bars will do well to consider the judges' findings though, rather than blame bias or unfounded conspiracy theories for their lack of results entitlement.

Non UK challenge

It was left to the non-UK challenge each side of the mid-contest break to impress the adjudication trio.

There was no surprise that the Belgians of Brass Band Willebroek once again showed their elite level class with a runner-up performance rich in tonal colour, fine soloists (led by 'Best Euphonium, Kevin Van Giel) and interpretative clarity under Frans Violet.

Although just dotted with minor blemishes, few would argue that it didn't deserve its reward, being described by the judges as one of "character, well managed by MD," "a brilliant presentation... academically fluent, well controlled and transparent" and "a really fine performance on all levels".

Aussie cohesion

An hour or so later, there was perhaps a little more surprise that it was Sydney City Brass who caught their ears with a compactly delivered account of musical cohesion and subtle inflection in its slower elements under Jason Katsikaris.

Where others over-extended ambition, the MDs appreciation of his line-up (two sops and two horns) and qualities when other faltered gave elite level Australian banding a huge boost as Syndey equalled the result of their Australian Commonwealth Band counterparts exactly 100 years ago.

Elsewhere, others who may have certainly fancied their pre-contest chances found their more liberally proportioned approaches at odds to the judges' inclinations — as dynamic and tempo inconsistencies were found more wanting than individual errors. The simple 'Music of the Spheres' section of 16 bars of seemingly 'simple' writing as Martyn Brabbins called it, caused a litany of problems.

No grumbles

No grumbles from Leyland and Hepworth, both of whom continued their upward trajectory of extended quality under Daniel Brooks and Ryan Watkins.

A second successive top-six finish for Leyland came courtesy of a well-defined account of solid ensemble virtues and classy solo lines, whilst Yorkshire Champion Hepworth once again sparkled with ear-catching bravura confidence and collective spirit. They could well be a contender for another stage mention come the Royal Albert Hall.

Behind them, what ifs and maybes from the likes of Tredegar, Aldbourne and Black Dyke, although a welcome late draw brought the best out of Carlton Main Frickley and a persuasive account from Milnrow.

Liberal tempo and dynamic choices

And whilst fans of both European Champion Flowers and Cory were left a little perplexed incoming 12th and 13th, the judges' remarks may have indicated that some liberal tempo and dynamic choices cost dearly.

Elsewhere, KNDS Fairey, Hammonds, the cooperation band and Grimethorpe will reflect on technical as well as musical issues that also arguably lost marks in the box, whilst hard working accounts from Amersham and EverReady weren't enough to save them from the drop back to the Grand Shield.

Attraction and challenges

With close to a full house of well over 2000 ticket sales, the attraction of the British Open to a domestic as well as international audience remains, thanks in no small part to the choice of a popular test-piece.

Whether or not that will translate again in the coming years (an announcement of a new work is being made imminently) for a contest of 18 or 19 bands (or potentially the Grand Shield) we will have to wait and see, whilst there were a number of concerns raised over the quality of the live-stream broadcast throughout the day.

As with the findings of the judges with Foden's in being crowned 2026 Champion though, success at the British Open is ultimately measured in both musical as well as technical terms.

And with more Sparke to come at the Royal Albert Hall in a few weeks' time, the Sandbach band hope for the same outcome from both in their effort to become 2026 'Double Champions'.

Iwan Fox

"A fabulous conclusion," Brabbins wrote in his summing up, adding; "Thank you so much one and all, but I must thank the musical maturity of the conductor in particular"4BR

Result:

Test Piece: Music of the Spheres (Philip Sparke)
Adjudicators: Martyn Brabbins, Arsene Duc, David Hirst

1. Foden's (Russell Gray)*
2. Brass Band Willebroek (Frans Violet)
3. Brighouse & Rastrick (Prof. David King)
4. Sydney City Brass (Jason Katsikaris)
5. Leyland (Daniel Brooks)
6. Hepworth (Ryan Watkins)
7. Tredegar (Ian Porthouse)
8. Aldbourne (Glyn Williams)
9. Black Dyke (Prof. Nicholas Childs)
10. Carlton Main Frickley Colliery (Glenn Van Looy)
11. Milnrow (Christopher Binns)
12. Flowers (Paul Holland)
13. Cory (Philip Harper)
14. KNDS Fairey (Philip Chalk)
15. Hammonds (Morgan Griffiths)
16. the cooperation band (Katrina Marzella-Wheeler)
17. Grimethorpe Colliery (Allan Withington)
18. Amersham (Paul Fisher)**
19. EverReady (David Morton)**

*Invitation to represent England at the 2028 European Championship.
** Relegated to 2027 Grand Shield

Stanley Wainwright Memorial Trophy: Andy Moore (horn) — Brighouse & Rastrick
Brian Evans Memorial Trophy for Best Soprano: Richard Poole (Foden's)
The Geoffrey Whitham Memorial Trophy for Best Euphonium: Kevin van Giel (Brass Band Willebroek)
Phillip McCann Trophy for Best Cornet: Mark Wilkinson (Foden's)