Queensland Best of Brass Concert

Best of Brass Concert
11 Australian Bands
Maryborough
Queensland

The "Best of Brass" Festival was held in Maryborough, Queensland over the Queens Birthday Weekend with 11 Bands competing as well as a very high number of soloists. The Festival itself was well organized by a very active and well organized Maryborough Brass Committee. I am sure all those involved would send their thanks and congratulations on a job well done.

In the past, the "Best of Brass" has had the A Grade and sometimes B Grade bands involved in the Gala Concert on the Saturday night. This year they tried something different, and it was Brisbane Excelsior (Howard Taylor) and the Brisbane City Temple SA Band (Barrie Gott) who were invited to perform for this event.

Brisbane Excelsior started off with a touch of "Brassed Off". This involved having segments of the actual film being shown in the background whilst the band performed "Death or Glory", Concerto D'Aranguez which provided a stunning performance by Flugel Soloist, Amanda Casagrande. After this number all the lights went out in the hall and placed the entire theatre in complete darkness. After a brief moment, the Brassed Off video came on at the section just before you see their conductor on his death bed in hospital. Suddenly the lights on the miners caps which were worn by the players came on and the audience were simply taken aback with James Denny's arrangement of Londonderry Air. The atmosphere by this stage really could not have been better with the crowd almost completely 'blown away', but things were just warming up.

Howard Taylor introduced Katrina Marzella on Baritone, the current Scottish and Australian Open Baritone Champion as well as being voted the BBC Young Brass Musician of the Year. Performing Bruce Fraser's "Sun" which is a Baritone solo with band accompaniment especially written for Katrina, the crowd showed mixed emotion with the abstract colours portrayed by the band at the start, and then the most magnificent baritone sound, probably the best any of us will hear in our lifetime rose above the band as if it was the sun arising amongst a changed and warmer accompaniment.

We were then entertained by three movements from Peter Grahams "Call of the Cossacks" which provided solos from their Trombone - Stuart Bent, Euphonium - Ashley Gittens, and Principle Cornet - Brent Hoy. Just to give the crowd something different, the Junior Champion of Champions, Liam O'Malley on Trombone performed 'Cavatine' by Saint-Saens on Trombone, and it was easy to see why he received such a high mark of 96 during the day. It was a faultless performance by the young trombonist from Bundaberg Municipal. Brisbane Excelsior then finished their part of the evening once again to a background viewing of the movie "Gettysberg" whilst performing "Reunion & Finale" arranged by Andrew Duncan. The band used the music brilliantly to portray the feelings of the soldiers who were losing the battle and the pain endured, it really was a moving experience.

We were then given an interval as the audience was left totally drained but at the same time emotionally fulfilled. Next on the programme saw the Open Champion of Champions Stephen Pell ( Brisbane Excelsior) on Euphonium performing Rimmer's 'Jenny Jones'. He demonstrated the depth of player in this section of the band as he actually sits second to the current National Euphonium Champion of Australia - Ashley Gittens.

The Brisbane City Temple Band conducted by Mr. Barrie Gott then entertained the audience. Starting off the programme with 'Eye of the Tiger' (arr. Rieks van der Velde), Barrie walked onto the stage right at the end to cut the band off. With the use of a Data projector, the band also kept the audience fully focused on the band performing an arrangement of numbers that involved visual pictures and choreography. The senior adjudicator Mr. Ron Prussing who is the conductor of Waratah-Mayfield in Newcastle as well as the Principle Trombone for the Sydney Symphony then performed Gordon Langford's "Rhapsody for Trombone" accompanied by the band. It was a faultless memorized performance and qualified in many players' minds why he was the senior adjudicator at the festival.

One of the best moments of the evening for me personally was when the entire band put down their instruments, and sang Barrie Gott's vocal arrangement of "Shut De Do", but then things got even better when they sang in full harmony, Isaac Wells - "When I Saw the Wondrous Cross". I was told many times in my youth that a brass instrument was an extension of your voice, and Barrie's band showed that to play a Hymn Tune to perfection, you should also be able to sing it as well. Maybe this is why the Salvation Army always perform such magnificent Hymnals. By the end of the evening, the audience were totally satisfied as if they had been provided a seven course meal, the only thing was, they could have had another five courses, it was that good.

The thing all brass bands can learn from the "Best of Brass" Festival in Maryborough is how to run such an enjoyable and successful event, but also that brass bands too can use visual aids to add a touch of class and added interest for an audience. For those of you who did not see this concert, I cannot describe how unbelievably brilliant it actually was, it was described by the many in the audience in the same way - Absolutely Stunning.

Finally, congratulations to all those involved in the organizing, running and participating in the "Best of Brass" weekend. It was a privilege to be involved with such a great contest and group of people.

Craig Millar
Adjudicator.

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