2005 RNCM Festival of Brass - Part 2 of 7

RNCM Ensemble and RNCM Brass Band
Saturday 22nd January

Conductors: James Gourlay and Prof. Edward Gregson
RNCM

The RNCM Brass Ensemble and Brass Band commenced Saturday's concert with some wonderful playing.  The only minute criticism of this concert was that the order could have been structured slightly differently to give the audience a comfort break.  The intensity of the music was such that by the end of it (100 minutes later) you felt dazed. The programme was a mix of Gregson, Howarth and McCabe with some Sir Harrison Birtwistle thrown in for good measure.

The Brass Ensemble performed first with ‘Greetings to a City', ‘Desert II – Horizon' and Howarth's tribute to Philip Jones, ‘Five Fanfares for PMJ'.

James Gourlay and the Band then took over with another Howarth composition, ‘Mosaic', followed by ‘Grimethorpe Aria'.  This is a work that has had its critics over the years mainly for its lack of tunes within it.  The truth is, the tunes are there but disguised in layers of sound.  The piece is extremely difficult to listen too, but praise must be given to band and MD for unravelling the complexities of the score and producing a fine performance. 

The highlight of this concert though was John McCabe's ‘Images', which was a change to the advertised programme.  The composer explained the origins of the piece to the audience and commented on the ‘controversy' that surrounded it when chosen for competition as ‘no one bothered to ask him what he thought, but everyone had their say'.  James Gourlay's interpretation kept you right on the edge of the precipice so to speak and it was an outstanding performance.

The first semblance of a musical tune (that the audience could whistle on the way home any rate) occurred though in the full version of ‘Festmusik Der Stadt Wein' by the Brass Ensemble which brought their concert to a conclusion. It was an enjoyable (if exhausting) concert.

Malcolm Wood

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