Prodigy – David Childs

Brighouse and Rastrick Band
Conducted by Robert Childs
Doyen Recordings – CD104
Total playing time 70.08

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David Childs is the BBC Brass Young Musician of the Year for 2000 and as the title suggests, is a fairly prodigious talent. His CD explores solo repertoire both with brass band accompaniment and with the help of piano, harp and string quintet. The music itself is straightforward, ranging from the ubiquitous "Swan" by Saint Saens to a welcome reappraisal of the anagrammatically "Varied Mood" by Ray Woodfield. All are played with a sense of style and robustic purposefulness that comes with youth and the recording confirms the sense of a blossoming gift.

The welcome approach to accompaniment in many of the offerings makes listening to a series of 17 euphonium solos less of a chore, and the use of the harp and string quintet really works well. However, the piano accompaniment to "La Belle Americaine" brings back awful memories of air varie solo contests in cold workingmen's halls and the playing of Brighouse and Rastrick on a few of the items is enthusiastic rather than detailed. Some of the arrangements are well conceived and are brought off by the soloist with a sense of style, that is more than a little reminiscent of his father, whilst his tone is warm and vibrant.

There is much to congratulate young Mr Childs on this CD, but perhaps it will have greater relevance in a few years time when the player himself matures and is able to move further away from the stifling collar imposed by the banding world. A recording of his performance of the Philip Wilby Euphonium Concerto with orchestral accompaniment would have been an even greater delight.

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