2006 European Brass Band Championships

Various performers
Doyen Recordings: Double CD: DOY: CD211
Total Playing Time: 2hr 20.46

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The 2006 European Brass Band Championships really were a truly memorable occasion. The decision by EBBA to head west for the first time in the history of the contest was rewarded by a fantastic week long festival of music making, a brilliant venue, excellent organisation and the warmest of welcomes from the people of Belfast. All in all it was a triumph.

This CD offers a chance to relive the musical memories once more and at over 2hours in duration it gives a fairly comprehensive reminder of the highs (and there were many) as well as the few lows (and there were some) of the music that was performed.

Although the two CDs are not in exact chronological order they are set out in much the same way as the contesting concert elements of the weekend. It also enables you to pick and choose from the items, from the test pieces and own choice selections of the Championship and B Section bands to the concert items of the opening Gala and Farewell Concerts.  

The Gala Concert itself was an interesting night, with Alan Morrison in fine fettle (all the more so as his beloved Middlesborough had just scored three goals in the last five minutes of their UEFA Cup game to get through to the final), although Kevin Houben's composers contest winning work ‘Arcana' isn't one to remain long in the memory banks.

The two test pieces were certainly different this year: ‘Seascape with High Cliffs' by Ian Wilson and ‘Little Christmas' by Elaine Agnew explored colour and timbre, subtle balances and elegiac lyricism as well as darker senses of mood and atmosphere. As both composers were new to the brass band contesting medium the pieces may not have appealed in quite the same way as more traditional tour de forces of recent years, but they are both the better for it. The bands and conductors found them very difficult ('Little Christmas' especially in the lower section) because of the questions they asked and on second hearing the pieces grow in stature immensely. That they won't be taken off the dusty confines of the back catalogue to be used again for some time is a great pity – both deserve a wider audience.  

The Own Choice section of Championship contest meanwhile has inherent dangers of its own too. This year, for the third year in a row, the winning selection was a piece written especially for one band to play – and premiere at the contest. Whether or not this gives any one band a greater advantage over their rivals is a question that could be discussed at length at a different time, but what is clear is that what we have been given in the past three years are works of pyrotechnical brilliance even if the musical content has at times been more questionable.

This year the BAYV Band commissioned Kenneth Downie to write ‘The Promised Land', a tour de force of stunning complexity, which given its use of two iconic pieces of Welsh choral music as its foundation was as patriotic a statement of intent that could only have been bettered if the entire Welsh rugby team had helped out the band on percussion. It is a brilliantly executed performance, even if you do wonder about it subtlety.

The overall winners and European Champions were Brass Band Willebroek and their performances of the set work and their own choice, ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth', although in no way error free are fine examples of a superb band opting to go for musical emotion first and cold blooded technique second.  It makes for two strangely riveting performances.

Elsewhere we get to hear a neat, light and detailed account of ‘Music of the Spheres' from Brass Band Fribourg and some wonderful playing from Brass Band Oberosterreich and their amazing cornet player Hans Gansch in particular. The man is as good as anyone you are ever likely to hear on the instrument.

With the contesting element of the weekend out of the way, Black Dyke produced some authentically thrilling playing in their Gala Concert items, with Richard Marshall and Brett Baker both on top notch form. Some of the other items it must be said were not in the same class, although the performances of Eikanger Bjorsvik and the European Youth Band on the Sunday at the Farewell Concert were a delight, with the Norwegians in particular on cracking form. 

They round off a fine release, excellently produced  (just the one sleeve note error from the Editor of 4BR in respect to 'West Ridings') and the recording quality retains a fine sense of immediacy especially at the excellent Waterfront Hall.  The European Championships have a hard act to follow next year after Belfast did the contest proud, and this recording shows you just why. It should come back here more often.

Iwan Fox.

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