Euphor

And you thought students only watched Countdown and went to the pub? Not this talented quartet on the evidence of this display they don't.

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Robert Fox, Matthew Jenkins, Helen Kinder & Shoko Morimoto (euphoniums)
Dolce Productions: CD10
Total playing time: 36.58 mins

Robert Fox, Matthew Jenkins, Helen Kinder and Shoko Morimoto, the four players who make up Euphor, met when studying euphonium at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama under Robert and David Childs. 

They formed the group in 2006, and are amongst the first in Wales to have been accepted on to the Live Music Now Scheme.  The repertoire consists mainly of arrangements of well-known melodies, with one original work in the form of Stephen Bulla’s “Celestial Suite”.

With four identical instruments, there can be a tendency for the results to be somewhat bland, but the group produce varied tone colours throughout, blending when appropriate but allowing the dominant features to be heard at all times. 

There are occasions during the slower numbers, such as “Pokarekare Ana” where the music sounds a little too intense for the material, but this occurs infrequently, and no undue sentimentality is allowed to creep into their performance.

In the items from the classical repertoire they demonstrate a good grasp of style, from the smoothness of Mozart’s “Ave Verum” to the slick presentation of Rossini’s “La Danza” and the “Galop from William Tell”.  Articulation is very clear, notably in the Vivaldi “Trumpet Concerto” and Mozart’s “Magic Flute”, where the repeated semiquavers are never allowed to become muddy, and the accents are kept in the context of the music.

In Handel’s “Lascia Ch’io Panga” and Karl Jenkins’ “Hymn” they are joined by soprano Kara Florish, a fellow student from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.  It is an unexpected combination but it works well, with the sensitive accompaniment never over-powering the vocal line.

It is good to see young players tackling an original work as part of their debut recording, and Stephen Bulla’s “Celestial Suite” produces some of their best playing, with uniformity of attack and tight ensemble playing, especially in the third movement, “Solar Plexus”.  Although the work was originally written for 2 euphonium and 2 tubas, one is seldom conscious of any lack of depth in sound or tonal quality.

In total contrast, Robert Childs’ arrangement of “Babyface” gives them a chance to really let their hair down, and their lively rendition is one of the highlights of a recording which does them great credit. 

Attractively presented, with brief details on the music and performers, the only drawback is the short playing time:  in an era where one has become accustomed recordings lasting for an hour or more, some may baulk at forking out full price for less than 40 minutes of music.  That would be a shame, as there is much here to admire, and these performers could well be ones to watch out for in the future.

Peter Bale

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