Highlights from the 2001 European Brass Band Championships

Stravinsky Hall, Montreux, Switzerland
Doyen Recordings – CD 125
Double CD – 2hrs 5 mins 41 secs playing time

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Featuring:
Yorkshire Building Society, BAYV Cory, Brass Band Treize Etoiles, Brass BAND Berner Oberland, Ensemble de Cuivres Euphonia. Soloist – Hannes Holzl (European Solo Champion)

The 2001 European Championships featured perhaps the closest ever brass band contest result. Just the one point separated three bands, and as a result the title could have gone to either Wales, Switzerland or England if any of the six judges on the day had given a point in another direction. As it was, Yorkshire Building Society under David King retained the title, but it was a mighty close run thing.

Talking of running, the contest itself reminds you of a 400 meters race – the optimum distance an athlete can run flat out before they collapse. The 2001 European was such a race as the three bands almost played themselves to the point of musical exhaustion and congratulations should go to Doyen for allowing us to relive much of the drama of a race that really went to the wire.

BAYV Cory feature twice on the double CD, firstly giving a stunning account of Carl Rutti's "Montreux Dances", which is a superb test piece that deserves further recognition. From the atmospheric opening bars to the swirl and frenzy of the final dance, the playing and direction is of a sustained high quality that deservedly saw the band win the set test section.

That it wasn't enough to win the overall title is in no small measure to an equally brilliant account of Peter Graham's fiendishly difficult "Montage" by Yorkshire Building Society. Given that YBS had an amount of ground to make up on BAYV Cory from the morning, the playing has a real feeling of "edge of the seat" quality – any more commitment to the cause could have seen the band implode as the playing technique nearly outstrips the musical content in the third movement in particular. It is an amazingly bravura performance.

Brass Band Treize Etoiles - a band Doyen clearly have difficulty in spelling - also show how close they were to becoming victors with a gripping account of Philip Sparke's "Cambridge Variations" that owed as much to the playing as to the direction from Peter Parkes. On any other day it may have been enough.

Just like the 400 meters, BAYV Cory shot out of the blocks and very nearly had the race won at halfway, such was their command of the set test, but you get the feeling that they tried just too hard at the beginning of the "Own Choice" Section on "Harrison's Dream" that they ran out of collective steam in the home straight when victory beckoned. An uncertain start and too many little annoying slips throughout the band saw the legs go wobbly, and even though they recovered somewhat in the last few meters YBS had saved enough to stick out their chests and pip them on the line.

Without the benefit of having a second hearing "Montreux Dances" by YBS and Treize Etoiles it may be impossible to tell how close it really was, but it sure sounded like a musical photo finish.

YBS also provide some stunning playing in the highlights of the Gala Concert, which really was the "Peter Roberts Show" in any other name – he is simply awesome throughout. YBS are on good form even in a pretty idiosyncratic "Force of Destiny" and must have been completely knackered by their days work at the end of it all. Being crowned European Champions for a fifth time in six years however must have made it all worthwhile.

Young Hannes Holzl on trombone gives an astonishing account of himself in Roy Newsome's, "Concerto Olympic" (he is only 14 years old remember!) but Berner Oberland are very average in their spot playing "Festive Impressions" by Oliver Waespi and Ensemble de Cuivres Euphonia very nearly scupper Paul Huber's "Symphonic Music". One can only imagine what some of the other performances in the First Section contest were like.

Doyen continue to provide listeners with a interesting historical record of the Championships and this year is no exception. Any more contests like this and we'll have to ask for drug tests on the conductors to check that the performances were not artificially enhanced. Roll on Brussels 2002.

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