Metamorphosis - David Childs

The Royal Northern College of Music Wind and Symphony Orchestras
Conductor: James Gourlay
Doyen Recordings: CD 134
Total Playing Time: 72.21

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Less than 12 months ago David Childs released his first solo CD entitled "Prodigy", an eclectic selection of 17 tracks that received well-deserved praise not only for its fresh approach but also for it's execution. 4BR liked as well, but we did mention the little caveat that we would have liked to have heard the young maestro performing the one work that had really shot him into the public eye when he performed it at the Final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year – Philip Wilby's, "Euphonium Concerto".

Lo! and behold and give the man a cigar – for what do we see as one of two major works on this his second release? None other than a full orchestral accompanied version of the piece! We are not of course the type of blokes to take all the credit for ensuring this took place, but it does show that young Master Childs has a nose for the good things in life; and the Wilby is certainly up there with Chateux Margot '62, Cuban cigars and Kylie Minogue in a wet swimsuit.

"Metamorphosis" takes its theme from two distinct concepts: the first is the players own development and musical progress as an artist from the youthful prodigy of the first release, whilst the second refers to the title of the new concerto for euphonium by the Swiss composer Carl Rutti, in which the transformation of an original theme through tempo, rhythm and notation mirrors the metamorphosis of the development of a silk worm from larvae through pupa cocoon to final transformation into a butterfly.

These are interesting ideas in themselves, but what makes this release more intriguing is that throughout the soloist is accompanied either by wind or orchestral ensemble; there isn't a brass band in sight or sound.

We therefore get to hear the euphonium on unfamiliar ground for most of us, but it's ground that the instrument is ideally suited. Much has been achieved with the euphonium as a concerto instrument within the limited context of the brass band, but it is a cloying and musically monochrome environment at the best of times.

As we heard at the Final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition, Wilby's concerto explodes into a kaleidoscope of colours, textures and timbres in the hands of a top class orchestra and director, and to be fair, the RNCM Symphony Orchestra and James Gourlay are very good indeed, if not quite in the league of the BBC Philharmonic and Jan Pascal Totelier. The music however - and the performance from David Childs, remains quite superb and shows that Wilby is more than just a very fine brass composer.

The same can also be said of Carl Rutti's fantastic "Metamorphosis". Rutti was last heard at the 2001 European, when players and audience alike very well received his "Montreux Wind Dances". His music is elegiac, subtle and with hints of an almost American rather than European provenance. It is at times almost hypnotic in it's rhythmic pulse, yet is always inventive and intuitive. It's a superb work that deserves to be aired as often as possible and David Childs gives it a definitive performance.

With these two works taking up almost half of the disc the other items may seem to nothing more than high quality "fillers", but again it's a pleasure to hear a clear euphonium voice not subdued by the monotony of band accompaniment. Thus Nigel Clarke's "City in the Sea" reveals fresh colours and timbres that make it much more interesting in this form than when accompanied by brass and "Caoine" by Charles Villes Stamford is a lovely piece of writing and arranging. Again, we hear the soloist on very fine form.

The other two plus points for us were "Dance of the Herdmaiden" by Hugo Alven, which sounds amazingly difficult for the soloist, but as the ensemble doesn't swamp the sound of the euphonium in the lower register you can appreciate the technical prowess of the soloist without wondering if there is a lot of "flannel" going on. (There ain't!)

Peter Graham's "Brillante" also sounds very different in Wind Band form and all the better for it as well, but we were a little disappointed with "Gabriel's Oboe" and "Carnival of Venice", the former not suiting the voice of the euphonium and the latter (although superbly played) sounding as old and worn out as a Joan Collins face lift. "Czardas" and "Flight of the Bumble Bee" are top rate lollipops though and showcase a technique as strong as a Vindaloo curry.

David Childs has taken a very brave and progressive step with this release and has moved significantly forward as a soloist. The use of the wind and symphonic ensembles gives the instrument the chance to be explored to the limit without having to become a forced voice to overcome the density of sound even the best bands tend to give as an accompanying output. If (and we hope) the euphonium is to be rightly regarded as a concerto instrument in the orchestral world we will need more releases such as this and therefore we hope it sells like the proverbial hot cake, even though the interesting cover design reminds you of the way you feel after 9 pints of Stella Artois and a pickled egg.

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