Fantastic Overtures

Black Dyke Band
Conductor: Nicholas Childs
Obrasso Recordings: CD915
Total Playing Time: 70.00

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Given that the orchestral overture has played such a central role in the development of the brass band repertoire over the past 150 years, it still comes as something of a surprise to learn that the vast majority of the transcriptions, arrangements and realizations of the genre (the new politically correct word it seems for a good old fashioned arrangement) haven't been much good. In fact most have been tripe.

Just about anyone who has been anyone has had a go too: William Rimmer, Alexander Owen, Charles Godfrey (who arranged just about every overture and orchestral selection under the sun for the British Open for nigh on 30 years) through to Denis Wright, Frank Wright (who just about did the same) and Howard Snell.   In the last couple of years Howard Lorriman, who was the chappie who brought us the new arrangement of ‘Rienzi' that was used at the Regional Championships in 2005 has also joined them.   In a months time we even get to hear ‘Le Franc Juges' once more at London, some 45 years after it was last used.

The questions that this new release immediately brings to mind though are – Do we really need another set of arrangements and are these any better than the ones we have already got? The answer is in the affirmative for both – with a few reservations though.

It wouldn't be that hard to improve on some of the efforts that we have had to put up with all these years. Given that most were hacked to pieces and put back together a bit like Frankenstein's monster with scant regard for colour, timbre and even key (pitch seemed to be the overriding criteria) we have still rather got used to them nonetheless. Where would we be without the euphonium solo in Le Roi d'Y's for instance?  

Brass band arrangements of classic overtures have been monochrome affairs however – a bit like watching snooker in black and white: You can appreciate the technicalities of someone playing the game, but it ain't half boring if you can't tell what colours they are potting.

Howard Lorriman has brought an astute creative eye (as well as pair of ears) to his take on eight classics of the genre. Not all come off, but over all, they are a real improvement on the originals (brass band versions that is) that we have had to endure all these years.

He is helped enormously by Black Dyke (recorded in May/June this year) giving a series of excellent performances too – they are slick and very professional and there isn't a hint that they just went ‘through the paces' so to speak in putting these down on disc. Some of the technical work is sparkling – especially from the bass end and each of the tracks has a fresh and uplifting sense of excitement about them (Zampa, for instance is taken at one heck of a lick!).

There is little to choose between the opening track, Glinka's ‘Ruslan and Ljudmila' in this new guise and that of the famous old Walter Hargreaves arrangement, whilst there will be a few eyebrows raised at ‘Le Carnival Romain' after the main cor anglais solo line had been given (more appropriately in this reviewers mind) to the tenor horn at the beginning of the work, whilst the faster elements still lack that sense of joyous verve and brio that the original still has in spades due to the weight of attack and lack of real differentiated colour that can be obtained on brass instruments.

Both ‘Finlandia' and ‘Academic Festival Overture' have been rescued and restored to former glory with two much more centered, purposeful and well balanced arrangements that evoke the sense of deep meaningful patriotism of the originals than ever the previous efforts ever did. The Rossini pairing of ‘La Cenerentola' and ‘Semiramide' are also skillfully coloured and brought to life, full of vitality and sensible sense of balance that allows a greater degree of the delicate filigree work to shine and sparkle as it should.

'Zampa' has been given a life saving boost too and now makes much more sense in terms of timbre. It also now has a much more accessible feel rather than the dislocated episodes that were rather clumsily put together in previous efforts.

Finally the star of the show and a cracking arrangement of Wagner's ‘The Flying Dutchman' that really does retain the drama and sense of darkness of the original in a finely structured piece of brass band arrangement.

It rounds off the release in fine style in terms of execution by a rampant Black Dyke and full congratulations to Mr Lorriman for his archeological rescue work. However all this very nearly comes to nothing given Obrasso's continued policy not to add any sleeve notes on the arranger or more importantly, the pieces themselves and reasons why the new arrangements have been sort. It is a huge disappointment and really does take the shine off what had the makings of one the most enjoyable releases of the year.

Iwan Fox 

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