Flight - Tormod Flaten

Tormod Flaten – Euphonium
Tormod Flaten Recordings: CD-TFR001
Accompanied by Daniel Beskow, piano, Eikanger Bjorsvik Musikklag Brass Ensemble.
Playing Time: Approx: 75 mins

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This is one hell of a player. Given that we are at the moment in the brass band world going through something of a "Golden Period" when it comes to the talents of young virtuosi euphonium players, along comes this 27 year old from Oslo with a solo release and lays a quite justifiable claim to being possibly the best of an exceptional current crop. Given that the crop includes the likes of David Childs, David Thornton, Morgan Griffiths et al, this shows that what we have here is a player of real undoubted superstar class.

13 tracks from the Norwegian prodigy explore both new and not so new repertoire and throughout he is superbly accompanied by both Daniel Beskow in piano (who is exceptional – and is a delight to listen to) and two small brass ensembles from Eikanger Bjorsvik Musikklag. What this therefore gives us is something of an extended recital CD – and it is this that gives the release freshness and a means of listening on a most musically intimate basis.

Recorded over three days at the University of Bergen in March this year, the producers have striven to maintain that intimacy by not "airbrushing" out those noises from the soloist gasping for breath, the valves being whacked down in the quick passages and the ensembles not being made to sound distant and woolly in an attempt to artificially bring out the solo voice above them. This for some can be distracting, but in this context it is most welcome and real reminder that playing a euphonium is a pretty physical business. It's like looking at those pictures of Claudia Schiffer in "Hello" magazine looking unfeasibly perfect, when you know all along she's got spots and cellulite, scratches her arse and most probably farts like a trooper. Life's foibles are to be celebrated you know and making soloists sound acoustically perfect does tend to be something of a cheat and leads to many recordings sounding a sterile experience.

The first track hits you in the face like a punch from Lennox Lewis on Mike Tyson's hooter – a brilliant rip through the famous "Vallflickans Dans" that goes quicker than a British slalom skier on a dose of Vic's synex. This is then followed by a real treat in the form of Torstein Aagaard Nilsen's "Two Insects" – a duo that takes its inspiration under the titles of "Dance of the Dragonfly" and "Moth in Love" and which capture the brief flirtatiousness of the little invertebrates to a tee – right through to the final whack of your rolled up newspaper as you dispatch the little buggers to their maker.

Tormod Flaten reveals his skills as an arranger with a very subtle transcription of "Sonata in A Minor" by Benedetto Marcello as well as "Meditation from Thais" – both of which work very well and reveal a player who has a deep rooted musicality about his playing as well as a mind blowing technique, whilst there are also two lovely items in the form of "Sweet and Low" arranged by Ray Farr and "Peace" by John Golland.

Fellow Eikanger soprano player and musician, Frode Rydland also provides two high class arrangements - the Valflickans Dans and a robust "Rev. Archie Beaton" – a slow melody of simple and solemn purpose and once again the soloist reveals a lovely dark, plum rich tone. Two contrasting pieces are to be found in the 3rd movement from the breathtaking Jukka Linkola "Euphonium Concerto" – a tour de force if ever there was one and a chance for the soloist to show off his technique to the full (the cleanliness of the semi quaver playing is something else we can assure you), whilst the Gordon Jacob "Fantasia" is given a very neat and faithful performance that reminds you how good a composer the man with the middle names of Percival Septimus really was.

The only item we felt didn't work however, was the performance of "Flight" from which the CD takes its title. Written for flugel horn and the mercurial talents of Mark Walters, it is a piece that explores the outer limits of that instrument to the full and only really works when those boundaries are scaled – musically and technically. The euphonium is too easy a tool in which to take flight on – something like a Jumbo 747 business class rather than a Gypsy Moth one seater skin of your pants job and you are left somewhat unthrilled by the experience of it all. Great playing indeed but you yearn for a leather flying cap, goggles and silk scarf rather than a comfy seat, in-flight entertainment and the miniscule chance of joining the "Mile High Club".

The last three items however bring things back on track, with a superb performance of "Suite no.4 in Eb Major BWV 1010" by J.S. Bach arranged by the artist himself and a little gem of piece from the pen of Craig Farr entitled "Larghetto for Euphonium". The final piece is also a masterwork – with Howard Snell's brilliant "Variations on Drink to Me Only" – as different a theme and variations as you would ever like to hear and given a cracker of a work out by both the soloist and the man on the ivories.

This has been something of a very pleasant experience for us at 4BR – a player who has taken some considerable risks and who has the courage to put his neck on the line both musically (nearly everything comes off gloriously) and technically (especially in light of the production values) and we are also given an exemplary insert that explains things in full in perfect English (others please take note).

We understand that Tormod Flaten has just got married and as we speak he's on a cruise enjoying life to the full with his new wife, Gro. Marriage and a superb CD – life can't be much better can it?

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