The Regionals 2008

Black Dyke, Cory, Whitburn
Conductors: Dr Nicholas Childs, Dr Robert Childs, Duncan Beckley
Doyen Recordings: CD DOY238
Total Playing Time: 62.07

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

As always with this immensely popular release the intrigue of what is to be played and by whom perhaps outweighs the actual enjoyment of the performances themselves. 

And although understandable, that is at times a great pity, for both with this release and those in the immediate past there have been a number of performances to really enjoy.

As always there will be much debate about the music chosen. Why for instance was the masterful ‘Festival Music’ by Eric Ball, overlooked in 2003 as the Finals test piece in favour of a poor arrangement by the great man in what should have been a celebration of his centenary, appear now four years later and missing anything to do with the Mozart 250 year celebrations last year?  

Test piece music doesn’t have to be linked to specific celebratory dates of course, but given the movement’s track record of asking for pieces for such a purpose (including ‘Festival Music’ itself in 1956 – the bicentenary of Mozart’s birth) you do wonder what the thinking behind this one was.

So too ‘James Cook – Circumnavigator’. Given that 2009 sees the centenary of Gilbert Vinter’s birth (and the 40th anniversary of his death) will we find that someone will be asked to produce a ‘Vinter Variations’ a la ‘Elgar Variations’ instead of a true celebration of his music? How will he be remembered in 2009, we wonder? Is this one a year too early?

Then there is the slightly contentious issue from some quarters concerning the perceived increase in Salvationist music, or music from composers with strong Salvationist ties being performed at major contests. Some notable personalities have told 4BR that they are starting to feel uneasy with what they see as the promotion of this music at the expense of more traditional ‘contesting’ fare.

Whether or not they feel that in this case a 50 year piece of Eric Ball in celebration of Mozart, a futuristic cinematic take on something of a science fiction adventure and a neat academic exercise in compositional technique reinforces their case is up for debate though.   There is little doubt more music from this rich source is being used, but whether or not people think that is a good thing or not is surely a matter for another time and place.

Finally, there is also the question of some pieces being perhaps too difficult for the section it has been intended. In the last few years there have been some horrendous mismatches for Section 2 and 3 in particular and there will surely be more than a few raised eyebrows in Third Section bandrooms up and down the country with Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’.

Still, all these questions and opinions are what perhaps makes the regionals, and this release, so enjoyable – it really sets the pulse racing listening to pieces that you know you will have to practice, and practice hard to master in the coming months.

’Festival Music’ will surely sort out the best from the rest in the Championship Section, with a return to a style of playing that many modern, big blowing bands will not feel at all comfortable with. Mozart and brass bands are rarely a match made in heaven, although the very best (as shown by Black Dyke here) can make it sound so cultured and thrilling.

”James Cook – Circumnavigator’ is a wonderfully atmospheric piece and will take some playing (trombones triple tonguing!), and should also be an enjoyable test of a conductors ability to conjure up images of the high seas and daring Pacific escapades. Get it wrong and theye could end up with the judges spearing him in the back like the poor old Captain. Cory enjoy their nautical trip on this recording to the full, with a sense of the ship breaking through the sea swell to start and a fair old nip of rum induced pomp and circumstance to end. 

Kenneth Downie’s neatly packaged ‘Three Part Invention’ is a lovely piece of cultured academia. As a technical exercise it is beautifully written, yet musically it is satisfying fare too. Whitburn deliver a splendid performance notable for its clarity and detail – something competing bands in the Second Section will do well to take note of. 

The Fourth Section bands will surely enjoy Rodney Newton’s ‘Four Cities Symphony’, written with a mischievous sense of dark humour throughout. ‘London’ conjures up images of red double decker buses, warm beer and stately homes, whilst ‘Paris’ is all Gauloise cigarette smoke, smooching left bank students and romance by the Seine. ‘Rome’ echoes back on its eternal history whilst ‘Moscow’ is just what you would expect – all Cossacks, vodka and merriment. It’s a cracking piece, played by Cory as if they had just enjoyed taking a cheap flight to Europe on RyanAir to check the venues out for themselves.

Our only concern is with Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, which we first heard in its premiere performance in Cardiff earlier in the year. Then it sounded a cracking concert piece (perhaps a tad formulaic and cinematically pastiche) but not one that a Third Section band could really perform with such controlled brio.

Black Dyke rather reinforce that view with their powerful performance on this recording and given that the standard of Third Section banding at present isn’t the strongest, there could be many a band struggling to get to grips with the demands (especially in terms of dynamic control) on this one. Just playing the notes won’t be enough to make it come to life – and we wonder how many bands around the country will do it justice.

Five interesting pieces for a whole host of reasons then. Debate and opinions will surely flow in bandrooms around the country when they start getting to grips with them over the coming months. It should make for an intriguing Regionals next year (what with them being crammed into one another too) and makes this release so enjoyable too.

Iwan Fox

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

^back to top