Pictures of Perfection

Birmingham Citadel Band
Conductor: Bandmaster David Nicholson
Salvationist Publishing and Supplies Ltd: SPS 164 CD
Total Playing Time: 64.28 mins

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

Those who have attended the British Open contest at Symphony Hall in recent years will have had the opportunity to hear Birmingham Citadel Band, as they have provided foyer music, as well as being called upon to play on stage following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre.

Under Bandmaster David Nicholson they have demonstrated a desire to communicate the gospel through music, and that is what they aim to do by means of their latest recording, "Pictures of Perfection". As a busy corps band they are actively involved in various aspects of church activity, including holding regular open air services on the city streets.

They are a large band, numbering some 50 players, although the distribution of players favours the bottom half of the band, with the cornets being somewhat outnumbered. Tempos chosen are generally fairly steady, possibly to assist with controlling such a large combination, and the playing is well controlled and balanced. The programme represents a good cross-section of music, such as would be found in the repertoire of many larger Salvation Army bands.

The Salvation Army has from the start drawn upon the popular hymn tunes of the day to assist with proclaiming its message, although nowadays the tunes featured are likely to be contemporary worship songs and choruses and there are three such included. "The Great Celebration" by Andrew Blyth, which opens the proceedings, features the song "Great is the Darkness".

Underpinned by the percussion section the rhythmic phrases are well placed, keeping the momentum going with the ostinato phrases not being allowed to dominate too much, and the piece ends on a positive note. This is followed by Dean Jones' setting of "Faithful God", with the well-thought-out booklet giving the words for the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with the chorus.

Eric Ball wrote "Triumph of Peace" as the dark clouds of the Second World War were looming. Featuring his own setting of John Oxenham's Hymn "Peace in our time, O Lord" it is a full of contrasts, and these are brought out well, although some of the unison figures in the lower end of the band could have been a little tidier. Although the horns ring out positively at the climax of the piece, some will regret that the soprano cornet seems to be absent in the top octave.

"Pictures of Perfection" is the title of a song written by Brian Willetts, and subsequently arranged as a euphonium solo by Michael Babb for David Childs and Brighouse and Rastrick Band. The soloist on this occasion is Band Sergeant Keith Watts who is helped by sympathetic accompaniment from the band, although there does appear to be a little assistance from the recording engineers at times, and slight tuning discrepancies.

In Wilfred Heaton's "Praise" the band shows commendable observation of the dynamics, avoiding the trap of putting in crescendos where none are written, especially in the descending quavers from the bottom half of the band. This is one piece, though, where the band seems a little too restrained, and some
of the excitement is lacking.

William Himes's writing for band is well known both within The Salvation Army and outside, but what some may not know is that he has a number of vocal works to his credit as well, ranging from substantial festival items to simple choruses such as "All that I am". He has developed the basic chorus into an extended meditation, enhanced by unexpected harmonic twists and also featuring the hymn "I surrender all", and the band maintains the tension through the changing moods.

The second Eric Ball contribution is "Sound out the Proclamation", which gives various sections of the band an opportunity to show what they can do. Again, the band demonstrates excellent control, although with the main statement at a fairly steady tempo. The horns, baritones and euphoniums in particular bring off their featured sections effectively, with the trombone tone coming through well at times. Notes are well placed, with delicate phasing and finely graded crescendos.

Deputy Bandmaster Martin Hughes is featured in Peter Graham's "Swedish Hymn", based round the familiar hymn "How Great Thou Art". Once again the accompaniment is very sympathetic, never threatening to swamp the melody as can sometimes happen. "Salvation's Song" contains a number of quirky rhythmic phrases typical of William Gordon's writing - although it could be classed as a festival march it is certainly not one for the streets! The playing is secure with good balance between the sections, and lively playing from the cornets towards the end. David Catherwood, from Belfast, brings the third of the chorus arrangements in the form of a soothing setting of "In His presence".

When selecting a solo for a recording it can be risky choosing something as familiar as Arthur Pryor's "The Blue Bells of Scotland", particularly when so many top rank players from both the brass band and orchestral spheres have made their own versions. Mark Sharman copes well with this very technical solo, although there may be areas he would have liked to have been able to retouch in ideal circumstances, as minor slips are more noticeable in a recording than in live performance.

As well as producing many composers, The Salvation Army has also had a number of poets in its ranks over the years. One such was Colonel Catherine Baird whose words have inspired Robert Redhead's "Reflections in Nature". She imagines Christ looking out over the Sea of Galilee, and asks whether, even in that idyllic scene, the cross could be seen reflected in the water.

The setting builds to a powerful climax illustrating the words "The Lord shall live again" and this is one point where it would have been good to hear a little more of the bass trombone tone coming through, although he is competing with seven basses!

For the finale, the band has chosen Peter Graham again, this time "Shine as the Light", written for the Star Lake music camp in the USA, and dedicated to the memory of tuba soloist captain Al Honsberger. This calls for considerable fluidity from the band as they lead the listener from darkness into light, including some delicate solos from cornet and euphonium and excellent playing from Tim Farmer on xylophone. It brings the disc to a fitting climax with the realisation that "The Light Has Come".

The recording is extremely well presented, with informative notes written by the bandmaster himself. The music has been chosen to present the gospel message and is an accessible programme well played by a very good corps band. If there are regrets, it is that the band seem to have played safe when taking a few more risks may have given the playing that extra sparkle, although, as already stated, the size and balance of the band may have affected this.

Peter Bale

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

^back to top