Eaglehawk Brass

Conductor: Chris Earl
Soloist: Alexandra Kerwin
St Paul's Cathedral
Bendigo (VIC)
Sunday 29th May

St Paul's Cathedral in regional Bendigo, Australia,  was the well-chosen setting for a concert by Eaglehawk Brass featuring the stunning sounds of the soprano cornet soloist Alexandra Kerwin on May 29th.
 
Soloist and band worked the cathedral's acoustics to maximum benefit for the audience which needed no prompting to convey their appreciation. Eaglehawk Brass under conductor Chris Earl opened the performance with Alan Fernie's 'Prelude to a Festival' and set the scene for a celebration of fine brass music.
 
Alex made an immediate impact with 'Demelza'. Her sweet lyricism engaged the audience and the band's accompaniment was equally as warm and supporting of the melody.
 
The 2003 British Open solo champion, who first visited Bendigo ten years ago with the touring Stocksbridge, was then joined by Eaglehawk's Russell Bovaird (flugel) in a moving portrayal of 'Pie Jesu'. Alex and Russell worked as if they had been playing together for years, such was the dialogue between the two soloists.
 
Not to be left out of the fun, the percussion section was featured in Rob Wiffin's arrangement of 'Flemish folk tunes, Dancing and Drumming', which led into the program's march, 'Arnhem', played with tightness and a command of the dynamic challenges.
 
Alex returned to play Ivor Bosanko's delightful 'I'll Not Turn Back', joined by the band's principal euphonium Emily Lelean. This work allowed soloists and band to take the audience through a range of stirring emotions - from the flowing opening, the tension, the full sounds and the tender finish - again, presenting a piece which connected so well with listeners.
 
'Prelude on Tallis' (Peter Graham) was an appropriate interlude for the countdown to a great finish which saw Alex back with the solo she has made her own - 'Gethsemane'. Her haunting sound was one to behold and the amazing energy channelled into the double-time section was simply exhilarating.
 
Eaglehawk Brass finished with a well-toned performance of 'The Gael' - again percussion did well and principal horn Charles Young was clearly in charge of his "jig" solo, assisted by Marian Rogan on first horn. The journey to the final statement was graduated and balanced and that last chord hovered well after the band finished.
 
But like all good peformances, if the audience thought that had heard a fantastic soloist and a band in top form, there was something even more special to come.
 
The encore was Barrie Gott's 'Song of Hope'. This solo is taken from the middle movement of Barrie's major work 'Glasshouse Sketches'. Alex and band gave an emotion-charged rendition, capturing and portraying the feelings of the mother on which the original movement is based. Excellent rubato and dynamic support allowed Alex to be tender or intense as the music required and her final note had the "X" factor and more.
 
Alex joins a growing list of top-flight soloists to be brought to Bendigo by Eaglehawk Brass. In the last two years the band has performed in concert with Riki McDonnell (euphonium), Brett Baker (trombone) and Oystein Baadsvik (tuba) with Brett due to make a return visit in July.
 
And each of those concerts has helped lift Eaglehawk Brass to its status as regional Victoria's 'Number One' band, in the process showing that the passion for brass, a bit over an hour inland from Melbourne, is strong and focussed.
 
Alex Kerwin captivated Bendigo with her concert. The Kerwin Sound was there to be shared and heard and the audience left Alex and the band in no doubt that it was enjoyed.

Chris Earl

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