Symphonic Brass

Black Dyke Band
Conductor: Nicholas Childs
Soloists: David Thornton & John French
Naxos Recordings: CD8.570726
Total Playing Time: 77.07

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Naxos are one of the biggest and most popular recording labels in the business, but until now they haven’t really dipped their toes into the brass band market place. Now they have though with this enjoyable selection of symphonic arrangements of works featuring Black Dyke.  

Given the extensive scope of their current catalogue (they have everything from alphorn to wedding music, lute to glass harmonica) Naxos must have identified the 2006 British Open champions as the key to see whether or not they can break into a niche market place. On this evidence they may have just picked a well thought out winner. 

The music chosen is unashamedly populist, but with a highbrow twist; Verdi, Bizet, Brahms, Holst, Elgar, Walton, Gershwin, Williams and Tchaikovsky are all composers who feature on most of their existing customers ipods or CD collections as well as being composers whose work transcribes well for brass.

They cover a fair old span of years too (1860’s to present day) whilst the brass arrangements come from Stephen Roberts, Alan Fernie, Goff Richards, Eric Ball, Robert Childs, Howard Lorriman and Denis Wright – all talented enough of course to make the most of their musical palette of resources. The result is an impressive release.

Black Dyke are on fine form throughout, from the pomp and splendour of Verdi’s ‘Grand March from ‘Aida’ through to three colourful Iberian stop offs from Bizet and music from ‘The Pearl Fishers’ (Messers Thornton & French doing a splendid job of reprising Jussi Bjorling and Robert Merrill), ‘Carmen’ and his ‘Farandole’. Then there is a suave and polished trip across the Atlantic for music from Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess’ and the John Williams Hollywood blockbuster ‘Saving Private Ryan’. 

Brahms ‘Academic Festival Overture’ is spick and span clean and precise whilst Holst’s ‘Jupiter’ is a fair old romp of jollity. For those who enjoy wrapping themselves in the flag of St George there is a cracking reminder of the few who saved so many in Walton’s ‘Spitfire Fugue’ and some nostalgic lip trembling sentimentality in Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’.  To round off you can enjoy yourselves reliving the old Russkies giving Napoleon one in the eye with the ‘1812 Overture’ – a finisher to any concert without parallel. 

Most if not all the pieces have been recorded by Dyke before, but it is refreshing to hear that they are not ‘cut and paste’ jobs – the Brahms is taken at a much more orchestral pace here than on its last outing under the MD, and in fact, each of the items has a much more orchestral feel about it – more conservative in approach and execution.

Perhaps that is what gives this release that feel of appealing to a potentially new audience – those who haven’t as yet dipped their toes in to the brass band waters. 

Recorded with a sympathetic ear at Dyke’s favourite ‘studio’ at Morley Town Hall and with excellent sleeve notes from Dr Roy Newsome (with German translation too), the only things we could raise an eyebrow too was the odd typo error (Geoff Richards?) and the very odd cover picture, which seems to feature an old left handed cornet with a nasty dent in it.

Given the very competitive price of a quality CD that is perhaps the only cheap thing about the whole venture.

Iwan Fox

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