St Magnus

The International Staff band of The Salvation Army
Conducted by Staff Bandmaster Stephen Cobb
SP&S Ltd: SPS200CD
Total Playing Time: 68.50 mins

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Anyone attending a Saturday night festival given by the International Staff Band at the start of 2006 may have guessed something was afoot by the number of Kenneth Downie compositions being featured.  With the composer seemingly enjoying a "purple patch" in his musical career, it is probably a good time to have a second recording to go alongside that produced by Brighouse and Rastrick Band a few years ago. 

Most of the items included on the new disc were written for the Salvation Army, the exceptions being the "Euphonium Concerto", written for Robert Childs, and "St Magnus", commissioned for the 2004 European Championships in Glasgow.

The programme opens with "The Joybringer", a march fantasy which helped break new ground in the late 1960s through its use of syncopation and the incorporation of Latin-American rhythms.  Taking his own vocal setting of the children's hymn  "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam", the composer uses the melody as raw material for the march, initially in fragmented form, with the full tune only  emerging later on.  It receives a lively rendition, although some of the rising scales in the lower section of the band sound a little too deliberate, almost laboured.

Kenneth Downie has a particular gift for writing for the trombone section, and they often make a telling contribution to the sound picture.  "He can break every fetter" is no exception, with the trombones presenting the theme at the start.  The music is developed with a keen sense of harmony and structure, with each statement being more affirmative as the music rises up in key.

"Music for a joyful occasion" was premiered by the Canadian Staff Band in 1993 under the direction of the composer.  The original features the alternation of vocal passages with the trombones, but "Music for a joyful occasion revisited" is considerably shorter, and omits the vocals.  The euphonium solo remains, and is played as impressively as ever by Derick Kane.  Phrases from the song "Jesus, I love you" appear on various instruments and are subject to transformation and development.  The revision retains much of the exuberance of the original, although some may regret the loss of some of the trombone writing in particular.

"Lord of all hopefulness" is a treatment of the gentle Irish hymn tune "Slane".  The composer explains that he was particularly drawn to the words of the final verse, which describe the "Lord of all gentleness, lord of all calm", and the descending harmonies, almost Delian in character, contribute to the pervading atmosphere of peace ad tranquillity.  It is in music such as this that the ISB really comes into its own, and there are many subtleties to be found in their interpretation.

The meditation "The Father's Blessing" was provided for Southport Band's tour of Newfoundland in 1999, the composer having been a member for the band from 1963 to 1971.  Whilst the words speak of the confident aspiration "God be with you till we meet again", Kenneth Downie is mindful that this assurance is not without its challenges, and portrays this with a couple of quite menacing interludes, with divided basses underpinning the harmonic structure.  The music ends quietly with the return of the original motif of the opening.  Many listeners may recall this hymn as having been a regular feature of Radio 2's Sunday morning schedules in years gone by.

The "Euphonium Concerto" bears the subtitle "Eulogy for Euphonium" with the intention of highlighting both the lyrical and dramatic qualities of the instrument.  The second movement "Andante con expressivo" represents the emotional heart of the piece, with a romantic theme for the soloist dominating proceedings.  There are plenty of technical challenges to be faced, particularly in the outer movements, which Derick Kane despatches with considerable flair, the occasional low-lying passages sounding more comfortable on disc that in some recent live performances.  The band accompanies sympathetically and it is good to have this major work available, representing as it does a departure from the sort of repertoire the soloist is renowned for.

Since being composed for the European Championships in 2004 "St Magnus" has proved a popular, if testing, piece, proving a considerable challenge when selected for the Mineworkers' Championships in 2005.  When preparing for a contest, a band may put in hours of rehearsal on a piece that may just have a single airing.  The motivation and raison d'etre of a Salvation Army band are rather different, however, and it is unlikely that the same amount of time and effort would be made available for a work that would only be performed once, even by a staff section such as the ISB. 

Stephen and the band are to be applauded for their decision, therefore, to invest such energy , and to include it in their regular weekend programmes, thus introducing this fine work to a much wider audience.  The association of the tune with the words "The head that once was crowned with thorns" helps audiences to relate to the music, and at the time of writing, it has been played in Scotland, Hadleigh and Liverpool, and the ISB have just become the first band to perform it in the Royal Albert Hall at the annual Gospel Arts Concert. 

The time spent in rehearsal has clearly paid dividends, and the band produces a creditable account, if lacking the extra sparkle of the live recordings available from Glasgow, the cornet section especially seeming under pressure at times.  Highlights of their rendition include the space given to the lyrical sections, especially at letter "F", the accents pointing the melodic line at "J" and the powerful statement of the theme at letter "O", topped by Gary Fountain's clear soprano top "D".  The euphonium cadenza is played very musically, with no excesses, and the unison runs at "R" are nicely together, although the following more angular phrases are a little untidy.  The tom-toms punctuating the music at "Z" come through well, and the band sounds very convincing in the powerful closing bars.

"Take time . . .", a short meditation on the hymn "Take time to be holy", comes as something of an oasis of calm.  Opening on unaccompanied solo cornets, the melody is tastefully decorated as the music progresses, moving through some unexpected changes of key, whilst the steady tread of the moving crotchets helps to maintain the forward moving impetus throughout.

"Praise tribute" uses the chorus of the Manx revival hymn "The good old way" as the basis for a tribute to Wilfred Heaton, drawing extensively on melodic and rhythmic references to his popular march "Praise".  On a first hearing this can be somewhat off-putting, as one expects "Praise" to continue, and can find it disconcerting to find other material instead, but it is certainly an interesting exercise which rewards repeated listening.
 
Somewhat unusually, "Peace" has no words associated with it, but relies on the music alone to convey the sense of "God's peace, which is beyond human understanding . . . ".  Written as a companion piece to "In perfect peace", the music is predominantly quiet and restful, with subtle decoration to the melodic line and gentle rises and falls to provide variety and shape.

When presented at the 2005 Gospel Arts Concert "King of Heaven" had an immediate impact.  Based round the familiar hymn "Praise my soul, the King of Heaven" it is something of a mini concerto for band, with each section having their chance to shine.  After an imposing fanfare the cornet choir lead the way, followed by flugel, horns and baritones.  The impressive trombone variation is quite free in style, showcasing the abilities of all three players, including one striking passage in three octaves.  Basses and euphoniums have a more lyrical section to begin with, becoming livelier as it leads into a percussion feature to rival that of Benjamin Britten in his "Young person's guide to the orchestra".  The full band then joins together, with some contrapuntal writing to round off this excellent  showcase for the whole band.

The recording is lavishly presented, with a 20 page booklet including an introduction from the composer, authoritative notes on the music by Ronald Holz, and features on Derick Kane, Stephen Cobb and the band.  The recording took place over one weekend in march at the Henry Wood Hall, and one wonders whether that contributes to the slightly tired feel to some of the playing.

Nevertheless, it is a fitting tribute to a popular composer, presenting some excellent music in performances that are well thought out and generally most acceptable.  With such a prolific writer, there are bound to be omissions that spring to mind, and it would have been good to have had a new recording of his rhapsody "Through the blood of the lamb", but hopefully another band will take up that challenge before too long.  That this recording will appeal to fans of the ISB goes without saying, and it is also a good introduction to the composer's music for those who do not know his Salvation Army works.


Peter Bale

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