Liverpool’s Heritage Concert

Liverpool Schools Brass Band and Choir
Sefton Borough Brass band and Choir
St Faith’s Choir
St Faith’s Church, Crosby
Liverpool
Saturday 26th November

It may have been a cold icy night only a quarter mile from the Mersey estuary, but a warm church, and what turned out to be a hot concert.

On entry, I could see those at the sharp end having photos taken: Phil Lawrence (composer), Morris Fogg (brass tutor and conductor of Sefton Band) and Louise Hough (Head of Brass and conductor of Liverpool Schools brass band).

I grabbed a programme and a very good seat, and waited. The programme was very well put together and had a wealth of information on the pieces, the composer, the choirs, the bands, and the premier, and all the lyrics for the choir in the premier as well. This was a good move that as one can often miss words (if in English) in a chorus – something that is needed to understand fully a new work of this significance.

The bands trundled on and I stopped counting at 50+ and naturally worried re: ensemble and tuning! They were carefully tuned and then off into the opening number, a favourite of mine and a great piece for youth bands, "Little Suite for Brass" by Malcolm Arnold Op 80.

This is a great vehicle for ensemble; unisons, getting close 2nd intervals in tune etc. The start was bright and tight with acceptable tuning levels given the average age was 14, and eldest 19 and youngest 8! A little lacking in weight at times from the Eb basses, but a very confident, full, singular BBb was making up for it. It's hard to get a real p out of an ensemble this size, but they were those trying hard. The little xylo solo was missing - shame as I did spy a xylo there whilst the Legato ending was very dolce, and 2nd and 3rd cornets at the end played a little strong for p, but it was confident and in tune.

Next up was Mr. Fogg brass tutor for Sefton to conduct one of Phil Lawrence's arrangements "I've Got You Under My Skin" crafted carefully from the original arr. by Nelson Riddle and recorded by the one and only Frank Sinatra.

Arranged for flugal solo, the players took the stand; Jennie Simmons, Gemma Louise Moore, Elliot McDermott and Ashleigh O'Grady. As soon as they started, I could just hear the original track. It was really laid back and smooth and it worked well for the four as they blended and were bang in tune. Those who know the arrangement will remember it slowly winds up in the middle starting with that famous bass trom solo and this was audible but not juicily pumped and you wouldn't expect so for one's so young. The throng grew in noise towards what should have been by rights a manic trombone solo but as it came to that very bar, one Phil Lawrence stepped out from behind a large transept joined the solo flugals and let rip into a mighty screaming solo, parting the hair of the audience on the first five rows with a volume that not only shocked, but blew the band noise sideward!

It was wild and built on the original Rosalino solo but had overtones of Maynard Ferguson. He screamed up to an Eb above the stave at three f's, lip trilled on it and then squeaked up another minor third or so and walked off!

The relaxed tutti soloists came back and tastily finished the number. It was a great accurate arrangement well played all round with loads of enthusiasm, and a new hair-do for some.

Next another Phil Lawrence arrangement special.  I have to say I just could not imagine this arrangement working at all given the piece and what it's arranged for: "It's Not Unusual" the Tom Jones hit, arranged for trombone trio?

Still conducted by Mr Morris Fogg, they joined by no less than 11 trombones out front to play. Off we went at a real tempo that tripped and swung along. Even though there were 11 trombones, I could hear how the arrangement worked in very tight harmonies of seconds and sevenths. Lots of slide vib, alla Don Lusher used well, and each trombone part had a bit to show; in the depths for bass, 2nd trom a short solo in middle range, and 1st up to high Bb with glisses. A definite show stopper and the audience was certainly taken by surprise.

Now choirs are not really my thing, but my impressions of the Liverpool Youth Choir in Britten's "The Ride-by Nights" was that they seemed mostly accurate to very tentative and exposed, but never the less all there - a first for me!

Then St Faith's choir (adults and young persons) gave us a very smiley rendition of Abba's ‘Mama-Mia'; the zest spurted all over the audience and they were easily won over. They then followed this with the theme from "The Vicar of Dibley" which is in fact a new version of "The Lord's my Shepherd" by Howard Goodall. I'm not a "Blackadder" fan, but this is a beautiful reworking of the psalm, beautifully sung!

Then, three items for the Sefton Youth Choir; "Lilly & the Rose", "Two for the price of one" and "Above My Head". The most fun for me was the latter, a sort of round, with the voices imitating the slide of a trombone as they slid upwards on each opening phrase - very spiritual like! Last were the massed choirs, all singing, "One More Time". The wealth of sound was indeed great, and all very committed to producing a big finisher, which they certainly did!

I got myself a tea, and tried to search out Phil Lawrence for a chat and I grabbed him having a tea with his wife Claire and son Alex. I congratulated him on the arrangements and said that things were beginning to happen in the background for him, as his Concerto ‘Blaze' for Richard Marshall had just won solo album of the year in The British Bandsman, and his work ‘Gregoritas' will be given its UK premier by Yorkshire Co-Op on Jan 28th in Norwich, not forgetting tonight's premiere.

As he said: "Well, it's not happened overnight, it has taken some time but there have been a few guardian Angels who have seen merit in my work and have decided to make things happen, like Gary Howarth, Philip Biggs, Richard Marshall, Bands in NZ and in OZ, and not to forget, here in my home town tonight's premiere."

And time to address that very premier, I returned to my seat.
 
The choir took place in front of the band, which made me think about the band projection, but too late now whilst Phil took the podium and gave a short speech on the work, putting his personal point of view on how it came about and his emotional intentions through the music.

The first movement addressed the early years from 1004 to 1542 including King John's charter to open the port for his back pocket as well as others such as the Saxons Wolfric Spott (1004) and then the families that began to lean and rule Liverpool from 1524 - Sefton, Derby, Moore's, Molenyeux and Stanley.

With a big timpani opening into a lament with choir singing "Liverpool" with distant ye olde fanfares, although in complex harmonies, this built into a faster section where the choir took up an almost demonic chant naming the family names who created the city. Again this built up to a war-like chant, in fact shouted about the Saxons, and the Norsemen and Normans who came to conquer. The work settles but the energy does not let up and it really bounced in pace. The march was almost frightening at times and the intricate scoring revealed fabulous colours and timbres. It was dramatic stuff!

The second movement was all about the tall ships and Irish visitors! Liverpool is now a successful port in England circa 1680/1750's, and the music revealed some quirky Lawrence with 6/8 crossing ¾. One could see the bustling port/harbour and people preparing ships to sail, and the bustle increased into a near cacophony to burst into an Irish Jig - not sourced but composed!

Horns and choir in unison and low floor tom joined alla Riverdance with strong complicated rhythmical repetitions which built into a wild mad speeding reel, climaxing back to the sea and ships with a strong finish! There was some ensemble problems, but this piece is really stretched these young brass players!

Now I know Phil likes his quirky titles, but the third movement; "The Wreckers Ball promises New" explained about the City Council who had systematically broken up communities of families that had lived in perfectly good housing accommodation from 1900 up to 1970's, where as many as 30 + from the same family would live in one street or two adjacent streets.

The front door was always open, kids played in the street without fear, and neighbours that had told your dad off for mischief were also there to do the same to you. These communities were in the private landlord sector, and many streets became under compulsory purchase order, they then sent us away to new housing estates with no transport or shops with others from different areas, this all still being built in miles of mud and machinery!

It started heavy, with grim harmonies I can't begin to analyse and unison voice sang with awkward intervals about their street and family. Then we burst into a bit of happy swing jazz as all the choir told us how they played in the street and what games they got up to in a very care free happy way; then grim half tempo as they recite how the councillors came and sent health inspectors to see their homes, "What a cheek" they shouted!!

Back to the grim sad start again, wailing sardonic intervals on their past happy life. Then back to jazz again and more happy tales and games, then a recit about, "What The Councillors Said" and off we went into a ball room waltz. The councillors sing here about beautiful new housing estates and they should just follow. Phil here is in his element of "La Valse" and "Rosenkavalier" with quotes from Connell Bogey. More jazz, and then a grim end pointing out that some of these properties were knocked down 30+ years ago, and still nothing built on them! Well played and sung all round and it brought a smile and a tear in the same movement!

"Liverpool's Song of the People" was the rousing fourth movement and I have to admit doing a bit of chat with Phil on the phone before the show because the work depicted so much and I needed to get that flavour across to you as in this movement he had racked his brain hard to included some other music that meant something too. Liverpuddlians/scoucers in general without it being "The Beatles" or some other Mersey-beat mob. Of course the support for the Red's is there but Phil felt that he didn't want to make it a football thing either, but he did feel he could choose "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the musical "Carousel" which "Gerry & the Pace Makers" covered in the early 60's which the Kop chose as the anthem.

As he told me: "I felt that this tune had more to it than just a Kop/football connection, it's a tune buried deep in the hearts of Liverpuddlians." On the other hand he also chose that old trad jazz tune also taken up by the Kop, "Oh when the Saints", but only the first three notes as a fanfare motif to start and then it jumps up everywhere during the last movement!

Off with bells on, trills, a joyous noise with the three note fanfare in very close harmonies in horns and trombones - and boy does it come in the right place and big. Then we are really off at crotchet 164, fast quiet scales from the cornets, bass chards come in, soloists with the three notes motive are popping up all over but quiet.

Then the choir comes in close 4 parts with "When you walk" and the harmonies are tasty indeed: still cornets fly, it comes together now slowly like a good Bach fugue with more parts added to make the bass line with three notes turned into harmony lines and the kit percussion drives it along. This was really exciting stuff and so well played by these young' uns!

We then climax into three pauses of harmonic shock to reprise back to the 1st movement where Norsemen are raiding with that frightening chanting march. Then accel back to our last movement material and the chorus back in with "When you walk" again.

This time it builds and is then backed with high cornets while the bass line thumps out descending quaver scales, church bells chime against in threes. Again loads of excitement that, build and builds to a GP silence, and how effective this was!

And, shh!, a Mahler 2 off stage moment as the chorus comes in pp with bell trees and glock and distant pp fanfares from the cornets. This bit could have stood a little more practise in the cornets I felt, but?

This then built back to out three note fanfare opening to bring the chorus to the climax of the tune, again topped off with more fanfare to a massive pause chord and GP. Then a pp unison each entering per bar to build up the whole band, gong and cymbal thrash which fell to the last chord of F major - a great finish!

At least three seconds passed before the first shouts and claps began, and I looked around the audience and I could see those who were moved by the passion in the piece for Liverpool.  I saw at least 4/5 handkerchiefs to eyes including some men. Loud Bravo's were hailed whilst Phil came on and off three times acknowledging the band and the choir only taking one bow for himself.

This man is doing different for bands. I've heard ‘Blaze' and boy is that different, and I've read amazing reports from down under  re: Gregoritas and the impressions it made over there. I just wish I could be at the UK premier in January!

This was a great concert for the young brass players and their tutors and respective boroughs. It's difficult to pull off a new piece as no one knows it or can measure it. These young ones made an impact on me. Will we hear it again in 2008? I hope so!

Robert Paisley

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