Highlights from the 2001 Norwegian Brass Band Championships

Grieg Hall, Bergen, Norway
Doyen Recordings – CD 123
Double CD – 2hrs 05 mins 08 secs playing time

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

Ever wondered what it must be like to be hit in the face by Mike Tyson? You know it's going to hurt and you know you can't do a lot about it, and for the most part you'll try and duck and weave to minimise the damage - but in the end you are going to get a wallop in the old noggin and you can bet your bottom dollar your ears are going to ring like Big Ben on New Years Eve.

If you really want to get some idea of how it feels (without the chance of getting your ear bitten off in the process) then go out and buy this years highlights of the Norwegian Championships and turn the volume ever so slightly up on your CD player – for on the evidence of this CD the weekend of the 8th to the 10th of February this year in Bergen made a rave party in Ibiza sound like a Mother's Union tea party. This is a CD of some seriously loud playing.

However – just like Mr Tyson, you have got to admire the standard at which the bands go about their business, and in Eikanger – Bjorsvik Musikklag's performance of Derek Bourgeois' "Concerto Grosso" we have playing of the very highest standard indeed.

Those of us lucky enough to have heard the band play the same piece under Howard Snell at the European Championships in Birmingham in 2000, heard an ensemble that at times is the equal of any the UK can produce, with an awesome technical ability that suits this particular music so well. Although the performance here is not quite in that class (there are a few too many little slips that just detract from the overall high standard) the band under Nicholas Childs capture the essence of the music brilliantly at times.

It may be brutal, hard and strident at times, but that is what the composer has clearly written and Eikanger meet the challenge with all barrels blasting away. It is a superb piece given a superbly committed and detailed stylish reading with solo playing that is of heavyweight champion status.

"Seid" by Torstein Aargard-Neilsen was written for the 1996 European Championships and is a very difficult test piece indeed. You need stamina, lips and guts of George Foreman size to make it come off, and to be fair Eikanger give another reading of high quality. These are two test pieces that would test any band to the limit, but Eikanger manage to come through them both – not unscathed, but slightly bloodied and unbowed. On this evidence they are worthy champions.

Elsewhere the ears get the Tyson treatment to varying degrees. Stavanger under Frank Renton give a high class showing of "Montage" – but bleeding heck – they certainly give it a bit of welly in places, and Ila Brass Band with Bjorn Sagstad at the helm give a fair bashing to "Masquerade" that lacks detail due to the zealous approach to the dynamics. Still – it's pretty good playing.

Molde Brass Band also give a good account of themselves through an impressive reading by Alan Morrison of Martin Ellerby's "Tristan Encounters", but the quiet stuff lets them down badly and the same is also true of the lesser bands on the twin set discs.

Sorum Mussikklag spoil their reading of Eric Ball's "Journey Into Freedom" by failing to get to grips with the dynamics. The players sound very uncomfortable when the dynamics go below mezzo forte and Frei Hornmusikk suffer all sorts of agonies when having to blow less than loud or very loud on "Labour and Love". These are old pieces that require bands to pass the lovely tunes around the band like old grannies passing around a baby for a kiss and a cuddle – not being tossed from one to another for a quick snog and slap on the bum.

Bergen and Alexander Brass however show that Norwegian bands are very good at more modern fare and give two worthwhile accounts of "Triptych" by Philip Sparke and "Quintessence" by Robert Redhead that suits their technical and tonal abilities.

So what's our referee's decision at the end of 15 rounds?

Well - this is a very interesting CD indeed and gives the listener the opportunity to check out at considerable length the varying standards of Norway's bands from the very best to the up and coming. To be fair the standard of technical performance is very high and the lower section bands in particular are very impressive in this aspect, but the dynamics are another story and too many performances are just spoilt by hard, strident overblowing. This is perhaps a slightly worrying trend if Norwegian bands believe this is the way forward. Lets hope not, because at their best, the top bands in Norway are very fine ensembles indeed.

Doyen continues to produce releases of note, especially of serious musical material and this should be of interest to a wide brass band audience. Our only reservation however is the poor quality of the sleeve notes that seem to be printed without recourse to mindful translated editing. The only low blow on a very exciting brass band fight card.

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

^back to top