There is sure to be a feeling of reflection to accompany the celebrations at this weekend's 36th Besson Swiss Open Contest in Lucerne following the news of the death of Markus S. Bach one of the most respected figures in the nation's banding movement.
Thoughts
Thoughts will be with the Bach family, with no news at present if his son Michael will direct Brassband Bürgermusik Luzern at the event at the KKL Hall.
10 bands are scheduled to compete in the two-legged event (starting at 9.00am) with the performances of the set-work 'Z 1920' (Scenes from a Silent Movie) by Peter Graham, before the own-choice performances later in the afternoon.
Switzerland's top contesting bands are schedule to take part as well as Wallberg Band made up of domestic players and stars from across Europe and beyond, conducted by Paul Holland.
Defending champion
The defending champion is Valaisia, as Arsene Duc and his players look to secure a hat-trick of victories. They are sure to face a strong challenge though from the likes of World Champion Brass Band Treize Etoiles, winners in 2021 and 2023, as well as Brass Band Berner Oberland (2022 winners) and Luzern (last win in 2017).
The scoring system to decide the winners sees five separated closed adjudication judges gives their marks for each performance. The highest and the lowest score is discarded to give three qualifying marks in each discipline.
The jury comprises David Childs, Peter Graham, Pascal Eicher, Howard Lorriman and Huw Morgan.
Competitors:
Brass Band 13 Etoiles (Frederic Theodoloz)
Brass Band Berner Oberland (Veronique Gyger)
Brass Band Fribourg (Robin Bartholini)
Brass Band Luzern Land (Patrick Ottiger)
Brassband Burgermusik Luzern (Michael Bach)
Ensemble de Cuivres Valaisan (Jean-Francois Bobilier)
Liberty Brass Band (Stefan Roth)
Oberaargauer Brass Band (Roland Froscher)
Valaisia Brass Band (Arsene Duc)
Wallberg Band (Paul Holland)
Own-Choice works:
A Brussels Requiem (Bert Appermont)
A Gabrieli Fantasy (Bert Appermont)
English Heritage (George Lloyd)
From Ancient Times (Jan van der Roost)
Extreme Make-Over (Johan de Meij)
Audivi Media Nocte (Oliver Waespi)
The Triumph of Time (Peter Graham)
On The Shoulders of Giants (Peter Graham)
Music of the Spheres (Philip Sparke)
Fraternity (Thierry Deleruyelle)
The scoring system to decide the winners sees five separated closed adjudication judges gives their marks for each performance. The highest and the lowest score is discarded to give three qualifying marks in each discipline4BR
Coverage
The bands choose five pieces in order of preference they wish to play from a catalogue of prescribed own-choice works. No work can be duplicated so the preferences are worked out by the organisers in a draw format.
Many thanks to Michael Franz of Brass Band News
For coverage of the event go to: www.brassbandnews.info
