The Voice of the Euphonium - Morgan Griffiths

The Yorkshire Building Society Band
Conducted by David King
Polyphonic Recordings - QPRL 098D
Total Playing Time: 66.21

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The first thing you realise about Morgan Griffiths is that you are listening to a mature brass band euphonium player. The approach to the music, the sense of style and the tonal quality throughout his range has the hallmark of what is great about traditional euphonium playing.

This is not to say that what we hear does not encompass the new and the unusual, as many of the offerings on the CD are welcome additions to the repertoire, but it is the way in which the music is performed that gives you the sense of hearing a brass band soloist rather than a brass instrumentalist who happens to play solos with a brass band.

All the pieces on show are accompanied superbly by the Yorkshire Building Society band, but even though there are only 12 tracks, you cry out for some variation about halfway through. Morgan Griffiths displays an awesome technique in many of the items such as the "Allegro" from the Mozart Bassoon Concerto and beautiful tonal qualities in the quieter items and the Brodsky "Be My Love", but the thing that catches the ear is the way in which he has such a well measured sense of style and phrase in what he plays.

This a brave offering from Polyphonic and one that is most welcome. However, just like the David Childs CD, it would have been nice to been able to hear something a bit more substantial in the content instead of "Rule Britannia" and "Largo al Factotum" which although superbly played are meat and two veg fillings rather than a roast beef main course which we know Morgan Griffiths could prepare and devour.

Well worth digging deep in to the pockets for.

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