The Buy As You View Band

Regent Hall
London
Friday 15th September

A near-capacity Regent Hall saw the Buy As You View Band present the Friday evening concert in the well-established Brass Arts Festival, organised by Philip Biggs Brass Festivals Limited, with sponsorship this year from Salvationist Publishing & Supplies Ltd, Besson Musical Instruments Ltd and Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd.  Their programme was divided into three sections reflecting various nations, commencing with the first half under the heading of "English Gems".

Wilfred Heaton's march "Praise" was published in 1948, although it was written several years earlier, when the composer was in his teens.  It made for a good opener, with crisp playing from the cornets and trombones, and taken at a brisk tempo.  Accents and dynamics were faithfully observed, and the flugel and horn melody had a suitably impish quality to it.  There was a marked holding back of the tempo at the final section, and the da capo was played as marked, just as many in the audience were about to applaud.

Introducing John Ireland's "A Downland Suite", Robert Childs pointed out that it comes from a golden era of writing for bands, and that it had been somewhat neglected in comparison with contemporary works such as Holst's "Moorside Suite" and Elgar's "Severn Suite".  He also referred to the possibility of it appearing on one of BAYV's "Brass Band Classics" series, which brought a murmur of approval from the audience.

The commanding opening was played with conviction throughout the band, with precise articulation and the basses providing a firm foundation.  The trombone section were nicely balanced and the octave leaps were carefully placed when they occurred.   In the "Elegy" Ian Williams' melody floated gently over the sustained, full sound of the band, with again some fine playing in the bottom half of the ensemble.  The third movement brought out some excellent chamber music textures, with all parts clearly audible, from soprano right down to the bass.  It was plain that here were players that were not only watching the conductor, but also listening to one another.  The trombones opened the finale very quietly, and the ensuing phrases flowed very smoothly as one was reminded once again what a fine work it was, demanding very different skills and techniques to most modern writing for band.

Having explained the connection between the original Cory brothers and The Salvation Army - they had named a ship after William Booth, and given the profits to his work - Robert Childs called on Ian Williams to play Eric Ball's "Glory to his name", a solo which has more in common with a concerto in its interplay between band and soloist, rather than a traditional Air Varie, even if it does date from 1929.  Ian Williams displayed considerable skill in dispatching the solo line, showing a particularly deft touch in the opening cadenza.  In the minor key section the solo line is very wide-ranging, but Ian retained his clear tone across the whole range, before dispatching the triple-tongued bars with considerable élan.  The only drawback, at least from where this listener was sitting, was that the band sounded a little too heavy for the soloist at times.

Eric Ball's "Resurgam" had been chosen to close the first half of the programme, and a fitting choice it was, marking to some extent the coming together of the two parts of Eric's life.  Written for the British Open in 1950, arrangements were subsequently made for its publication in the Salvation Army's Festival Series (incidentally, as a facsimile of the original R. Smith version), making it for many years the only work that Salvation Army and secular bands were both permitted to play.  The opening was very measured, with the music given ample room to breathe, and the climaxes were intense without losing the balance between the parts.  There was a moment of magic as David Childs's solo emerged from the texture, and the descending scales sounded clearly right down to the basses.  The tam-tam whispered out before the reprise of the opening, with a beautifully clear note from the trombones towards the end, and the final pause held with telling effect.

The second half was split into two sections: "Italian Nights" and "Celtic Pride".  Rossini's "La Danza" certainly got things off to a lively start, with the real feeling that the tarantella was indeed being danced fast enough to dispel the tarantula's poison - although, as Bob pointed out, modern medical knowledge would tell you that dancing like that would simply allow the venom to spread throughout the body more quickly!  Either way, the runs flowed smoothly from one player to the next and any cobwebs accrued during the interval would definitely have been swept away.

Vincenzo Bellini's "Concerto" was originally written for oboe, but Roy Newsome has turned it into an effective solo for tenor horn, and Owen Farr proved he was more than capable of rising to the challenge.  His silky tone was heard from the outset, shaping the phrases neatly in the slow introduction before negotiating the intricate later sections with aplomb.  Bellini would no doubt have been amazed by his dexterity, although he may have felt the accompaniment was a little out of character with the solo line and the generally light nature of the music.

Following on from the tenor horn solo was David Childs on euphonium, presenting the premiere performance of a new arrangement of Rossini's "Introduction, Theme and Variations".  Written for clarinet, this exploits a very wide range, which had been incorporated into the euphonium's solo line,
calling for considerable agility in the very lowest register.  In other hands, it could sound rather muddy, and even with David's skill one felt it was pitched a little low, but he carried it off successfully, whilst the leaps from the low arpeggios to highlight the melody line well above the stave were quite amazing - even the soloist himself looked at the audience with raised eyebrows at one stage!  The minor key episode, when it came, was something of a relief from the exertions which had gone before, both for soloist and audience, but it was last long before the pyrotechnics resumed, but always in the service of the music.  The band opening, complete with side drum rolls, was reminiscent of Rossini's overture to "The Thieving Magpie", and Rossini's renowned sense of humour was never far from the surface.

The final segment, "Celtic Pride", consisted of just one work.  Peter Graham was commissioned to write "The Day of the Dragon" to showcase the talents of the BAYV Band, and the piece was first performed in the farewell concert following the European Contest earlier this year.  Opening with euphoniums and baritones in duet, the back row cornets also had their chance to shine, and there was the opportunity for some fiercely effective trills.  The work is well written to exploit the bright sound of the band, and the overture introduced various themes that would recur later on.  In his introduction, speaking of the second movement, a lullaby featuring the trombone, Robert Childs had announced that Chris Thomas would be playing it especially for Don Lusher, present in the audience.  If this put any additional pressure on the soloist it was certainly not apparent, as he showed once again the fine tonal qualities that are central to his playing. 

The "Welsh Clog Dance" featured first Owen Farr and then the full horn section, complete with foot stamping across the band that really seemed to test the stability of the platform.  This lively movement was followed in total contrast by the "Ballad", a duet featuring the flugel of Joanne Deane, answered by David Childs' euphonium.  The solo voices were well matched, backed by sensitive accompaniment.  The final movement, "Triumph" is based round "Men of Harlech", with allusions to Peter Graham's own "Summon the Dragon" at the start.  The fugato section, led by the horns, was very effective, as the mutation of the tune passed around the band and led to a triumphant conclusion, as per its title.

Robert Childs explained that, although there would be an encore, it would have to be a short one, as the coach driver needed to get them to their hotel in order to have enough hours left for the following day.  Cue what was probably the fastest rendition yet of the "Village Wedding" from Rodney Newton's "Echoes of the East".  There was a real sense of elation as the final chord sounded out at the close of a memorable evening. 

Peter Bale

^back to top