Norwegian Brass Band Championships 2008

The very best of the performances from Bergen - Eikanger on top Odin and Riff form to some lower section delights too.

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Various bands
Doyen Recordings: DOYCD243
Total Playing Time: 2.15hours approx

In their way, the Norwegian Brass Band Championships continue to highlight the persuasive argument for making National Finals truly representative of quality over quantity. 

True, the country as a whole does not have the sheer number of competing bands as the UK, but there is a sense that we can still learn a great deal about how to market and showcase the differing levels of competitive banding to the general public without perhaps fully duplicating their lead.

Less is more

The Championship, or Elite Division, in Bergen is a case in point. Just 10 bands, playing a set work and own choice selection over two days seems a much more equitable way of deciding matters, rather than a ‘one off’ 20 band marathon. As the English Nationals recently found out, less can definitely give more.

With the bands also more receptive to allowing themselves to be graded according to their musical ability, rather than their own self assessed musical ambition, the lower divisions are also much more accurately representative of quality than quantity too.

That is not to say ambition is blunted (some of the own choice selections can be a bit of an eye opener) but it does give the contests themselves a greater strength in depth. The Fourth Division contest this year was a quite fantastic event – full of great playing from just about all of the19 bands.

If you are ever in any doubt about the way forward for brass banding in the 21st century then book a trip to Bergen in 2009 and see (and hear) for yourselves. It may lack for the history (although the championships have now been going since 1979), but the standard of playing leaves much of the UK National Finals in the shade – and not just in the lower sections either.

Elite

The Elite Division contest this year saw Eikanger Bjorsvik regain their National title after a gap of two years, from rivals, and hat trick hunters, Stavanger. In truth the result was in little doubt after the first discipline of the set work on the Friday evening, when their performance of Arthur Butterworth’s surprisingly enjoyable ‘Odin’ (revealed as a fine old work after years of neglect) gave them a two point margin going into the Own Choice section the following day.

The reason why is clearly defined here, with a performance rich in drama and atmosphere allied to detailed technical security, balance and dark musical malevolence under the baton of Nicholas Childs.   

Stavanger just couldn’t do enough to claim a third successive win, despite their best efforts, although their performance of ‘Concerto Grosso’ also showed that perhaps they just stretched and strained a couple of musical sinews too far on this occasion. It’s exciting and colourful, but also error strewn and at times, uncomfortable too.  

That extra effort was perhaps understandable given that just before them Eikanger had delivered a quite stunning rendition of Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen’s ‘Riffs and Interludes’, which was every bit as good as the equally impressive account they gave of it at the Europeans in Belfast a few years back. It is some playing of a quite some piece, and deservedly gave them back their Norwegian national crown. 

For the purists Eikanger’s twin renditions are worth the price of this release alone – although there is still much to enjoy from the winning performances from the other Divisional National Champions of 2008 too.

Style

The First Division title was won in some style by Oslo Brass Band, conducted by Frode Amundsen. Their performance of ‘…Dove Descending’ contains plenty of bravura playing allied to a delicate appreciation of repose in the ‘Nativity’ that wouldn’t be too far out of place at British Open level.

In the Second Division meanwhile it was the combination of English experience in the shape of John Hudson and the talented and youthful performers of Orskog Brass that took the honours with a detailed and vibrant account of ‘Dances & Alleluias’.

It was just enough on the day to beat off the challenge of another Englishman – although the difference in appearance and style was the equivalent of Norwegian chalk and cheese – and Simon Dobson.

Talented

The highly individual, but outrageously talented Cornish export drew a super performance out of his equally young charges at Kopervik Musikkorps on ‘Tallis Variations’, which pushed the eventually winners all the way to the finishing line in a contest of many musical highlights.

There was a great deal to enjoy too with the Third Division title winners, Rong Brass, conducted by the experienced Reid Gilje.

His sympathetic reading of ‘Kenilworth’ by Sir Arthur Bliss is matched by the detailed and well balanced playing of his players in a performance of appreciative quality.

Nuance

That just left the Fourth Division and after a bit of a musical marathon for the judges Paul Farr and Bjorn Sagstad, it was Torskangerpoll Musikklag from the number 1 draw that beat off the 18 challenges to take the title with a performance of commendable nuance and control of ‘Kaliedoscope’ by Philip Sparke.

It is Fourth Section playing of a very high quality indeed and provides further evidence that the growth of Norwegian banding is based on rock solid musical foundations.  

It also rounds off a double CD of a competitive weekend of high quality banding that once again shows that Norway is perhaps leading the rest of the world in showcasing brass talent – at all levels.

Iwan Fox

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