The Life of a Dream

Brighouse euph star makes his first solo recording. Does he come up with a dream debut or a bit of a nightmare then?

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Michael Howley
Accompanied by: Brighouse & Rastrick Band; Steve Johnston – piano
Conductor: Alan Morrison
WAMCMHBRB07009
Total Playing Time: Approx 1 hour 

Despite his youthful appearance Michael Howley has been around the top class banding scene for quite a while. He is also a performer who has matured quite literally before our eyes.

His immediate impact came with the YBS Band (although he had already shown glimpses of his potential at Fairey), but he has since found his musical home at Brighouse & Rastrick, a band that has brought out the very best of his performing qualities.

Complete

Today he belongs as a fully paid up member of the top strata of practitioners playing their trade in the banding movement – a talented soloist and impressive ensemble player. He is now a very complete euphonium player.

‘Life of a Dream’ perhaps sums up his current position in life itself – and it certainly shows in this well constructed release. The 10 tracks on offer are standard fare, with the centrepiece the demanding, but accessible concerto that gives the CD its apposite title. 
 
Compliment

The opening ‘Slaviche Fantasie’ is played with dark hued brio and sense of Carpathian elegance, whilst the following ‘Carrickfergus’ is a wonderful counterpoint, allowing the soloist the opportunity to lighten the mood and tone without losing the ability to play with rich lyricism. 

Following the main concerto is the sweeping ‘Summer Isles’ from ‘Hymn of the Highlands’, and the compact ‘Concerto 1’ by Willie Brandt, which doesn’t lose any effectiveness as a showcase technical exercise on the euphonium rather than the cornet for which it was originally intended. 

Lush

’Looking Through the Eyes of Love’ is a lush and persuasive arrangement by Gavin Pritchard that is played without artifice, whilst the ubiquitous ‘The Swan’ is delivered with pleasing understatement and tasteful reflection.  

Erik Liedzen’s ‘The Song of the Brother’ is a welcome addition – traditional and tastefully constructed. It does belong to a different age, but one that has a sympathetic proponent in the soloist. ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ will of course get you all up from the pews on a Sunday morning, and although it has been sung by just about every child in the world at some time or another it still retains its ability to put a smile on the face – especially when played with such brio as this.

Fulcrum

That just leaves the fulcrum of the release, William Broughton’s ‘Concerto’ – ‘The Life of a Dream’.

Having heard it performed both live and on CD, it is a piece that grows almost imperceptivity on the listener.

The work may have a slightly tongue in cheek subtext with the individual movement’s entitled, ‘Intelligent Ignorance’, ‘Weary Contentment’ and ‘Cosmic Culmination’, but it is a serious work that demands a seriously good player to do it justice.

Bravura performance

Thankfully we do here, with a bravura performance that captures the sense of absent minded brilliance (the type you get when you meet those who don’t have ‘common sense’ as they say) in the opening movement full of effortless technical dexterity, followed by a classy sense of lyrical complacent comfort in the bluesy middle movement. The final tour de force is a thrill a minute climax.

It provides the soloist with ample opportunity to showcase his impressive array of technical and musical gifts – something that is done with consistency throughout an impressive debut recording.  Quality accompaniment from Brighouse and the excellent skills of pianist Michael Johnston are complimented by good post production values too.

A ‘dream’ debut so to speak then.    

Iwan Fox

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