Soliloquy
28-Mar-2007
Kirsty Abbotts
Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band
Conductor: Allan Ramsay
B&H Recordings: CDSFZ139
Total Playing Time: Approx 70 mins
Thankfully the art of true lyrical cornet playing is not dead.
In an age when far too many young and impressionable players are mistakenly taught using the Olympic motto method of improvement - stronger, faster, higher – the artistic values of tonality, phrasing, production and lyricism seem to be dying virtues. Not with Kirsty Abbotts they don't.
This recording should in fact be made a legal requirement for any teacher who believes they have the best interests of young players at heart – for this what the true strengths of high quality brass band instrumental playing is all about. Forget about little Peter or Megan gaining another certificate to take home to the parents saying they are now the proud holders of a Grade 10 in pointless brass playing. Instead, get them to take home this CD, plonk them in front of the stereo or stick it on their iPod and just tell them to listen and learn – and we are talking about the teachers here first, the pupils second.
We have bred a whole generation of cold, robotic players who can so obviously play stronger, faster and higher - and they sound every bit as appealing as those old East German women shot putters – all of whom also had the Olympic motto method of training bashed into them too.
What we should be teaching them is what is so gloriously displayed here from the very first note of a highly enjoyable release: The warm tone, enhanced with the ability to be subtlely shaded; the precision of the production; the security throughout the dynamic and notational range; the understanding of the musical line and measurement of phrases – and the priceless ability to engage the listener with the sense of style and approach to the material being performed.
Getting youngsters to jump through musical hoops to gain meaningless badges of dubious achievement or placing them in huge homogeneous school bands that are primarily vehicles for the conductors own vanities will never work – although that doesn't stop them still being taught that way.
Each of the 14 tracks from the opening ‘A New Direction' to the closing ‘You Raise Me Up' is a little lesson of enlightenment in itself. The soloist is of course one of the finest currently playing their trade in the brass band movement – always a joy to listen to on the contest or concert stage. Her CV is a testament to the fact that she is a performer of the very highest class. Here she displays all her considerable artistic attributes to the full.
There is a lovely sense of understated presence in the lighter items, whilst Kirsty has the ability to darken the approach and tone in the more operatic selections. The control and finesse shown in the demanding passages of the more modern pieces is exemplary – nothing is strained or over accentuated for meaningless effect and the emotion shown in many of the items derives from the musical inspiration of the pieces themselves – there are no crocodile tears on display. Above all however is the sense of musical understanding of what is being played, and how it should be performed.
The Carlton Main Frickley Band directed by Alan Ramsay is sympathetic in their accompaniment and there are also some neat touches to change the tonal colours on display such as the use of Irish pipes. The quality of the arrangements is high too with Leigh Baker in particular bringing a keen artistic ear to his contributions. The standard of the recording is also enhanced by the post production work from B&H Sound Services, which allows the soloist to sit on top of the band even when the ensemble accompaniment is quite dense and complex. It would have been nice to read a little more about the items themselves, but that is a small gripe on a well presented release.
A soliloquy may well be a discourse to oneself, but this playing speaks to everyone who enjoys brass instrumental playing of the highest class. It should inspire countless others to follow her lead.
Iwan Fox.
What's on this CD?
1. A New Dimension, Joy Webb arr. Stephen Hague, 3.52
2. Someone Cares, John Larsson arr. Ray Steadman-Allen, 4.23
3. O Divine Redeemer, Charles Gounod arr. Roy Newsome, 6.16
4. Down By the Sally Gardens, Trad arr. Leigh Baker, 5.51
5. God Be In My Head, W. Davies arr. Leigh Baker, 4.13
6. Violin Concerto No. 1 (2nd movement), Max Bruch arr. Stephen Hague, 4.21
7. Home Away From Home, Phil Coulter arr. Stephen Hague, 4.22
8. Adagio, Rachmaninov, 5.02
9. Grace, Leigh Baker, 4.59
10. Soliloquy, Philip Sparke, 5.16
11. Your Tiny Hand is Frozen, Puccini arr. Gordon Langford, 4.22
12. I Hear You Calling Me, Marshall arr. J. Ord Hume, 3.43
13. Meditation, Massenet arr. Alan Fernie, 5.57
14. You Raise Me Up, Lovland arr. Andrew Duncan, 5.46
