Adjudicators Kevin Wadsworth and Stan Lippeatt certainly pulled no punches with their remarks about the standard of the performances and the test piece ‘Suite for Brass’ at the end of the Third Section on Saturday.

Detailed

In a hallmark detailed analysis from the stage and to 4BR, Kevin pinpointed exactly where he felt the bands had come unstuck and where they had prospered on Sandy Smith’s expertly drawn arrangement of John Rutter’s set work.

In a hallmark detailed analysis from the stage and to 4BR, Kevin pinpointed exactly where he felt the bands had come unstuck and where they had prospered...4BR

Rare foray

Meanwhile, Stan Lippeatt gave a clear indication of just why the work did cause so many problems too, although both judges were very complimentary about the competing bands efforts (especially the soprano cornet players) on what was a rare foray for brass into the world of strings.

Full of praise

Players, conductors and supporters alike who talked to 4BR after the results were full of praise for the way in which Kevin also indicated that he wanted to make it clear that the points awarded for each of the 19 bands on the day were a mechanism for placing the bands in order, and shouldn’t be taken as a literal expression of the difference on standards between the performances themselves.