European Farewell Concert

European Youth Brass Band and Brass Band Oberoesterreich
Conductors: Ian Porthouse & Hannes Buchegger
Adrian Boult Hall
Birmingham, Sunday 6th May

The final event of a weekend such as the European Brass Band Championships can come as something of an anticlimax, after all the competitive elements have been settled.  The organisers this year, however, had chosen their participants well, and an expectant audience gathered in the Adrian Boult Hall to share the experience.

In a change to the advertised running order, it was the European Youth Brass Band, under the direction of Ian Porthouse, who presented the first half of the concert.  They had certainly been one of the successes of the week, with a more adventurous choice of repertoire than has sometimes been the case for such groups, and with only one item being repeated from their programme the previous evening. 

Philip Harper's "Lionheart" had been specially written for the occasion, and it proved an excellent opener, with a full-blooded start, and using all sections of the band.  The players blended well together, with some excellent work from the back row cornets and horns, whilst the flugel and horn duet, answered by soprano and rep, was well handled, as were the fanfare passages answered by the trombones.

Frank Renton, acting as compere once again, paid tribute to the contributions made by the YBS Band and David King to previous European contests as he introduced one of the pieces commissioned by the band: Peter Graham's "Alloway Tales" draws its inspiration from three Robert Burns poems, "Duncan Gray", "Afton Waters" and "The devil's away wi' th' excise man". 
Although no narration was used on this occasion, the young players caught the spirit of each movement well, the first section being suitably crisp and light, with very precise playing by the cornets.  Following the horn and flugel duet in the second section, it was the turn of Scotsman Richard Kidd on euphonium, resplendent in a black kilt.  Throughout their programme, it was good to see the solo lines being shared out amongst the players, giving everyone a chance to shine.  There was an appropriately cheeky touch in the last section, with a powerful presentation of the "Dies Irae" theme, and dynamics throughout were well observed.

The programme listed the various pieces the band had worked on during the week, including three major test pieces.  For the centrepiece of their programme they had selected to play Elgar Howarth's "Fireworks", performed with well enunciated narration from Nigel Morgan. 

The players coped admirably with the challenges of the music, with its exposed solos and occasionally spare textures, and it was easy to see how it had come as a bit of a shock to audiences at the Open in 1975, especially with the use of percussion in contests then just being in its infancy.  The balance between the sections was generally excellent, although a couple of the percussion contributions were rather overshadowed, such as the triangle's entry. 

The hunting music of the horn section and the basses' rather eccentric march came over particularly well, and the trombones caught the jazz feel of their variation nicely.  The final fugue built up neatly to a full and balanced climax, with the volume being kept under control until the last few bars.

The trombone trio "I will follow him" was presented, as Frank Renton explained, ". . . in the best tradition of youth bands, by four players", with the soloists coming from Italy, the Netherlands, Scotland and Switzerland.  The opening was played smoothly, with good support from the accompaniment, and when the up-tempo section came the kit just complemented the band, rather than dominating as can sometimes by the case.

The band also demonstrated an affinity with the swing style in Steve Sykes's arrangement of Duke Ellington's "Caravan".  The percussionists were all fully occupied, and there was an excellent trombone solo, while the screaming sop topped off the cornet section.  A military style side drum introduced some powerful playing from the trombones, as the piece headed to its thundering conclusion.

The one item repeated from Saturday night's concert was Stephen Bradnum's version of "Irish Blessing".  It was good to see the solo quartet being left to play their opening and closing sections on their own, and the interpretation was full of subtleties, with well controlled dynamics and telling pedal notes from the basses.

Peter Graham's "Windows of the World" was first heard at the Gala Concert following the 2000 European Championships, also in Birmingham, so it was fitting that the European Youth Brass Band should end with one of its movements: "Earthwalk" showcased a number of their soloists, with an extended euphonium solo and a very well ordered drum break, which maintained the pulse and interest from start to finish.  It left the audience wanting more, and the players will no doubt have many happy memories of their time together. 

Thanks were expressed to various people who had assisted with the band and they all deserve credit for producing such a well presented group, whose deportment on stage and off it matched the standard of their playing.

After the interval it was the turn of Brass Band Oberoesterreich, under their affable conductor Hannes Buchegger.  They opened with music from their native Austria in the form of Richard Strauss's "Festmusik der Stadt Wien", extracts of which had been arranged by Mark Reift.  From the robust opening through to the smooth legato playing of the slower sections this was consummate brass playing of the finest order, with total precision.

Principal Cornet Hans Gansch needs little introduction following previous appearances with the band.  A former principal Trumpet with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, he may not have had the best of days by his high standards on Friday evening, but he definitely made up for it with his rendition of the First Movement of Oskar Boehme's "Concerto in F minor".  His delicate touch and understated style allowed the music to flow, never allowing the technical difficulties to obscure the overall shape and line of the music.  The glockenspiel and xylophone added colour to the accompaniment, particularly in the tutti passages, and the double-tonguing following the slow section left the audience open-mouthed.

More Austrian music followed, with Howard Snell's version of Johann Strauss's "Czardas", taken at a cracking rate and putting each section through their paces.  The uniformity in the scales running down the band was astonishing, and the performance was full of vitality, never flagging, even at the quieter dynamic levels.

The euphonium duet "Euphonism" by Philip Sparke was presented by Harald Buchner and Christoph Aigner.  Following a gentle opening from the band, with the cornets neatly topping off the chords, the euphoniums entered with smooth, balanced lines, although there was a slight buzz notable from the second part.  Close observance of the markings allowed the soloists to emerge from the texture even amid some very powerful tutti passages, the two players dove-tailing neatly together in both the slower and faster sections. 

Flugel horn player Thomas Beiganz is responsible for 190 brass teachers in Upper Austria.  He it was who formed the band in 2002, and many of its members work within his department.  He was featured as soloist in Darrol Barry's take on Errol Garner's "Misty".  His sultry performance treated the solo line very freely, and he was clearly very comfortable with the idiom, producing a warm sound across a very wide range, and never being over-powered by the backing.

The whole cornet section – who had excelled all through the programme, especially the back row – then had their moment in the limelight with Dinicu's "Hora Staccata" (arr Richards).  Standing up to play, it was a performance of real flair, their precise articulation enhancing the vivacious nature of the music.

Their penultimate item was a medley "The Best of John Williams", put together by their conductor, Hannes Buchegger and arranged by Joe Laube, including extracts from "Superman", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Schindler's List", "JFK", "Summon the Heroes" and "The Olympic Spirit". 

The opening fanfare from "Superman" set the tone, with cornets and horns being joined by the impressive trombone section, before the familiar driving rhythm took over.  This contrasted nicely with the more lyrical sounds of the flugel, horns and euphonium.  The distinctive rhythms of "The Raiders March" were very crisply played before the euphonium and soprano introduced a suitably poignant note with the theme from "Schindler's List". 

Hans Gansch relinquished his cornet, taking up his rotary trumpet and making his way to the raised platform to the left of the stage, from whence his ensuing solo line soared commandingly across the auditorium.  The powerful sound of two unison side drums lead into "Summon the Heroes", the front row cornets standing to play their fanfares.  Each section then made its own contribution, the whole band ending on their feet and getting a thunderous reception.

Their final piece, "Funky Brass" by Otto M. Schwarz, again featured Hans Gansch on trumpet, but this time in a couple of exuberant improvised choruses over the band.  It made for a spectacular finale to an excellent concert which had displayed the considerable talents of these relative newcomers to the world of brass bands, and they are sure to make quite an impact when they return to the UK to take part in this year's Brass in Concert in Gateshead.  Although the audience – and I think the band as well! – would have liked an encore, it wasn't possible due to the need to clear the hall, and for the band to make their way to the airport for their return flight.

Peter Bale

^back to top