Eden

Highlights of the Besson National Brass Band Championships and Gala Concert 2005
Featuring: Leyland Band; Black Dyke; Mnozil Brass; The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Fanfare Team; Roger Webster
Doyen Recordings: DOYCD202
Total Playing Time: 67.49

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Forget all the opinions about whether or not Leyland deserved to win the 2005 National title – the history books will record for posterity that they did, and that, as anyone knows, is far longer than the memories of anyone who was there on the day.

This release however will give a timely reminder of the quality of their winning performance – and a fine performance it was too, even if it was eminently beatable. Remember those record books though.

Eden also provides the centre point for this release which features a plethora of talent – not all on top notch form it must be said.  The Leyland performance is vibrantly alive in musical spirit yet fragile in musical body, yet overwhelmingly it is a broad and expansive reading from Russell Gray and his team that captures both the feelings of expectancy, despair, the merciless descent into hell and the final redemption of the human spirit. It is all there, warts and all – just the way Dr. Pickard had written it, and it does benefit greatly from some wonderful playing from Runar Vallheim Vaernes on trombone and Billy Miller on euphonium.

Whilst Leyland were off into the dark Kensington night to celebrate with the trophy, the outgoing champions, Black Dyke had to draw on their vast amount of professionalism to perform in the Gala Concert. They needed it as well, as they must have all but been banjaxed by not retaining their title. In the event they performed well – not to top form by any means – but who in their right mind would have.

They were joined on the stage by the anarchic Mnozil Brass who entertained the rather vocal audience in their own inimitable style, whilst Glyn Williams brought his own touch of Welsh wizardry to the proceedings too. 

Mnozil were great entertainment, although you can only get a small sense of their overall presentational brilliance here. Their contributions were cleverly put together, although without the visual experience of seeing what they were doing it does rather sound like a Tom and Jerry cartoon without the music, but in reverse.

Glyn Williams wowed the audience with his multi instrumental showcase and his lovely sense of lyricism with his pieces, whilst the CD is opened in ‘cracking' fashion by the Fanfare trumpets of the Marines who would have lost a hatful of points if they had been in involved in any adjudicated contest.

Black Dyke meanwhile contribute the rest of the items, including a superb piece of trumpet work by Roger Webster in the last movement of the Howarth Trumpet Concerto and a very effective remembrance of those lost in War with Richard Hollick's dramatic eulogy above Elgar's Nimrod Variation.

Elsewhere they rather grit their teeth and bear it to the end with a whip through The Great Gate of Kiev and Toccata in D Minor to round of a somewhat uneven release, but nevertheless, one that more than captures the highs and occasional lows of a memorable weekend at the Royal Albert Hall last October.

Iwan Fox. 

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