Greater Gwent Youth Band

Conductors: Sean O'Neill, Philip Harper
Guest Soloist: Gareth Small
Wyastone Concert Hall
Monmouth
Saturday 6th January

Newspapers are forever reporting antisocial behaviour and ASBO statistics, but they would have been most disappointed had they been present at Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth on Saturday 6th January (annual concert of the Greater Gwent Youth and the GGY Intermediate Brass Bands) because all the young musicians behaved impeccably!

They produced music-making of a very high standard, much to the delight of their families, friends and the large number of county dignitaries in attendance. Musicians spend hours practising to perfect what they are learning to play, developing greater powers of concentration, determination, self-discipline, perfectionism etc. Being a member of a band improves their social skills, self-esteem, loyalty, commitment, punctuality and sense of focus and purpose. Generally, the benefits of their dedication result in their being very employable and also becoming good citizens! Better balanced journalism, recognising that the vast majority of young people do partake in worthwhile hobbies/pastimes, are better rounded persons as a result and are rarely any trouble to society, may encourage them to give less press coverage to those who seek attention and step out of line to get it.

The concert was an unqualified success. The Intermediate Band, conducted by Sean O'Neill, commenced with an enthusiastic performance of ‘Spirit of Youth' (Richards) and was followed by ‘St Andrews Variations' (Alan Fernie). The theme and nine short variations was an inspired choice for the 63 young players, whose ability ranged from Grades I – V, and was most appropriate to their current standard of play. However, this band reserved its best playing when accompanying guest soloist Gareth Small in ‘Concierto de Aranjuez' (Rodrigo, arr. Alan Fernie).

Gareth played with great style and produced a mellifluous tone on the flugelhorn. This was followed by ‘Singing in the Rain' (arr A. Fernie), a most effective item, played with enjoyment and fun by all band members. The band concluded its programme with an item featuring kit-drummer Michael Oliver in ‘Cool Drumming' (Mealor). The future of the senior band is assured with so many talented youngsters coming through. Annually, an award is given to the Intermediate band member who has shown the most improvement during the course (held from Tuesday – Friday prior to the concert). This year's recipient was Eb Bass player Damian Bufton. In fact, the bass sound throughout was exceptionally good and provided a solid foundation for the entire band.

After the interval, the senior band took centre stage and demonstrated the step up in the standard of sound and maturity you would expect from older, more experienced players. Guest conductor Philip Harper confidently directed a programme which highlighted the strengths of players in his charge. They began with the rousing ‘Castell Caerffili' march (T.J.Powell) and ‘Elegy' from ‘A Downland Suite' (John Ireland), which drew some beautiful, sensitive playing from the band as well as fine solos from the solo cornet and Euphonium. Throughout the evening Mr Harper provided the audience with descriptive information before each item. ‘The Aeronauts' (Goff Richards) - set test-piece for this year's Youth Band Championships, when Gwent will defend their title - was well controlled and featured stylish solos from Soprano, Solo Cornet, Flugel, Solo Horn and Euphonium.

For obvious reasons I find it inappropriate to write on this year's soloist Gareth Small (assistant principal trumpet, Hallé Orchestra), so I asked Brian Buckley, who was at the concert, to pen his observations……."Gareth hails from Penclawdd, near Swansea and proves that talented Welsh players do make it at the very top level. He was inspirational to young and old alike and impressed with the width, breadth and vibrant range of his sounds, as well as the consummate ease with which he displayed his considerable artistry. Using a C Trumpet in an evocative performance of ‘Born on the 4th July' (John Williams, arr. for Gareth by Andy Duncan) and Bb trumpet in ‘Song & Dance' (Phillip Sparke), where he effectively captured the macabre mood before romping through the complex time changes to a thrilling close, he delivered a classy encore: ‘Flamenko' (arr. by his father Tony).

During the evening Gareth gave an object lesson of how to project style and capture the various moods in a seamless performance which displayed excellent musicianship, stage presence and a delightful personality. The young players responded to his flair and leadership".

The band had a difficult act to follow, but acquitted themselves well in ‘Copacabana' (Manilow) and ‘Coronation Scene' from Mussorgsky's ‘Boris Godunov'. An impromptu performance of ‘The A Team', without a conductor, concluded an excellent performance by the 2006 Champion Youth Band of G.B.

Everyone went home duly impressed with the future generation of brass band players, which should encourage all bands within Gwent to be more positive about their long-term future - as long as they continue to offer them musical challenges! Conductors Sean O'Neill and Philip Harper fully deserve our congratulations on a splendid evening, as do Gwent's Alun F. Williams (Deputy Head of the Music Service) and Andrew Jones (resident MD of the band), along with the eight band members gaining awards for long service, in addition to special awards to solo horn player Angharad Jones (tutors award) and percussionist Paul Stoneman (most improved player).

Tony Small

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