The Gala Concert of the 2016 Siddis Brass Championships took place after nine hours and more of highly enjoyable music making had been heard at the two halls of the striking Stavanger Konserthus. 

The main Championship event had been the usual mix of inventive musical and visual entertainment in the Fartein Valen, the 1,500 seat main auditorium named after the austere Norwegian composer of atonal music who died in 1952 and who was born in the coastal city.

However, there was certainly nothing atonal about the celebratory music on offer, with this short, but enjoyable concert featuring the talents of Brasskompaniet, a ten-piece ensemble formed in 2012 by players at the Norwegian Academy of Music, as well as the remarkable young skills of trumpeter Sofie Kolve Haukas.

Highly polished

The group’s concert schedule is increasing, with their profile sure to get another boost following this highly polished performance. Having completed a tour of Norway in 2014 and given a performance at the recent 10th Malcolm Arnold Festival, 2016 has also seen a number of appearances at prestigious events.

Opening with ‘Divilj Konj’, an up-tempo arrangement of a traditional Serbian folk melody, Brasskompaniet took the enthusiastic audience through an eclectic range of repertoire that showcased their substantive musicianship in a cohesive blend of stylistic commonality. Excellent balance and precision were the hallmarks of an impressive set - as was the stamina, which did not wane throughout 45 minutes of demanding playing.

Style and nuanace

The group also played an accompanying role to the talents of Sofie Kolve Haukas, who earlier in the year had won the Ungommens Musikkmesterskap Youth Solo contest, the top prize of which included a solo performance at the Siddis contest. 

Sofie performed as trumpet soloist in two pieces, Goedicke’s precise ‘Concert Etude’ and engaging ‘Blamann Blamann’, each delivered with an admirable sense of style and nuance allied to an already formidable technique.

With the audience eager to hear the results, Brasskompaniet finished with the lollipop ‘Mr. Jums’ to set the evening up perfectly for the rather lengthy ceremony (which also saw them provide the numerous specially commisisoned fanfares).

This was an excellent show by a group that will hopefully be heard time and time again at contests not just in Norway but further afield.

Iwan Fox