European Brass Band Championships - Farewell Conce

European Youth Brass Band - Helge Haukås
Eikanger Bjørsvik Musikklag - Reid Gilje
Buy As You View Cory - Dr Robert Childs

Bergen 2003
Sunday 4th May

A European brass band championship as successful as this, had to have a worthy ending. And the farewell concert was such an event. Approximately 500 people had the opportunity to attend the farewell concert in the Grieg Hall on Sunday afternoon.

The crew in this year's European Youth Brass Band made their last appearance. Their programme started off with an elegant version of Florentine March, conducted by the Norwegian Helge Haukås, obviously on top form on his podium. The band paid tribute to Eric Ball by playing The Kingdom Triumphant, before the Norwegian star tuba player, Øystein Baadsvik, showed his qualities in two solo numbers: Gabriel's Oboe by Morricone and Dance no. 1 by Edvard Grieg.

The Youth Brass Band brought their half to a great finish with the amusing Adiemus for Brass and March to the Scaffold by Hector Berlioz. With youth like this, the brass band movement shouldn't worry too much about the future recruitment!

Then the Norwegian top class band, Eikanger-Bjørsvik, came on stage. They also honoured the memory of Eric Ball, starting off with his transcription of Elgar's Nimrod. The band's beautiful sound was displayed in this opening piece.

The rest of Eikanger's programme was called "Art of the States", a journey through the evolution of American popular music. All the pieces have been arranged for the band by their soprano player, Frode Rydland, their second man down, Svein Henrik Giske, and their conductor, Reid Gilje.

The journey started off with a negro spiritual, before the band travelled through the ragtime and charleston eras. Grethe Tonheim virtually melted the audience with the Gershwin melody "Someone to watch over me". The euphonium players Tormod Flaten and Rolf Bjørge showed off as "Sammy Davis Jr." and "Frank Sinatra", playing their hit "Me and My Shadow". And the audience loved the stage acting as well! A blazing Brecker tune, "Skunk Funk" brought the band into Tanga by Dizzie Gillespie, staggeringly played by Martin Winter on his trumpet.

After the interval, this years runners-up, Buy As You View Cory Band, entertained the Bergen audience once more before heading home for Wales. In "Le Corsair" the band showed their great ensemble skills. Then three soloists impressed the crowd: Ian Williams played "Charivari" by Iveson elegantly on his cornet and Chris Thomas showed his beautiful sound in "Stardust". The audience knew about David Childs' sound after his Revelation performance. Now he displayed his technique as well, in Carnival of Venice. It was stunning playing.

1812 Overture had to be followed by a decent encore. And the band's cornets finshed the concert off, playing Hora Staccato with few signs of a long, tiresome weekend.

The European champinoships in Bergen are now history. After today's concert we are already looking forward to Glasgow next year!

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