The Brass Collective

Duke’s Hall
The Royal Academy of Music
London
Tuesday 12th June

Tuesday evening saw the debut concert of a new ten-piece brass group under the title of The Brass Collective.  Consisting of young players on the threshold of their professional careers, all of whom have studied at the Royal Academy of Music, several of the names will be familiar to brass band audiences. 

The players are Huw Morgan, Philip Cobb, David Geoghegan and Chris Bunn (trumpets), Kira Doherty (French horn), Mathew Gee, Blair Sinclair, Iain Maxwell and Dan West (trombones), with Wilfred Driscoll (tuba).  There was much doubling within the trumpet section, with piccolo tumpet, Eb trumpet, Bb trumpet and flugel horn all being featured at one point or other, and one of the trombonists took up the euphonium for the opening item on the programme. 

Enrique Crespo, well known as a trombonist, arranger and composer, founded the highly respected group German Brass in 1984.  His fanfare "Spirit of Brass" made much use of the interplay between the trumpets and trombones, seated on either side of the platform, trumpets on the audience's left, trombones on the right, with the horn, euphonium and tuba in the centre. 

The ensemble produced a bright, clear sound, with crisp articulation and good balance between the various parts.  Wilfred Driscoll on tuba was particularly impressive on his entry, supporting the ensemble with a full, round tone.

The music of J S Bach seems to lend itself well to adaptation for various ensembles, and the ensemble continued with Howard Snell's arrangement of "Prelude and Fugue No 11, BMV 856".  The arrangement tested the players to the full, with unison lines impeccably phrased and figures moving smoothly from one player to the next.  Again there was some fine tuba playing, both when providing a powerful bass line, sometimes alongside the bass trombone, and also with some delicate semiquaver work. 

Fresh from his appearance as soloist at the Royal Albert Hall the previous Saturday, Philip Cobb demonstrated that he was perfectly at ease on flugel as well as trumpet, and the interchange between the players in the fugue was neatly handled, with each voice fading into the background as the next entry took over.

Gustav Mahler made much use of the brass section in his writing, and Simon Cox had arranged his song "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" especially for the concert.  Taken from his collection of Ruckert Lieder and sharing an affinity with the popular "Adagietto" from the Fifth Symphony, its dark tone and melancholy nature were conveyed most effectively, particularly in the writing for the lower brass, whilst the horn suspension on the final chord ensured the piece ended on a suitably poignant note.

To close the first half, The Brass Collective presented Chris Batchelor's "Vozpelo e Pile".  Based around a number of Balkan songs and dances, complex rhythms abounded, demanding immense concentration from the players, as well as placing great demands on their stamina.  Three trombones opened proceedings, the soloist declaiming a plaintive melody almost in the form of a call to worship, against a chordal background. 

Horn and tuba joined in, the whole moving around a pedal held steadily by Dan West on bass trombone, before the trumpets then added their own rhythmic figures, with constantly changing patterns and shifting accents.  The precision of the playing was very impressive, particularly when playing fast-moving unison lines, and a section involving the slapping of thighs and the stamping of feet all added to the excitement. 

Kira Doherty on horn, whose pitching was so secure all evening, had to negotiate a few passage at the upper extremes of the range, and although there were a few instances of suspect intonation in the ensemble as a whole, the verve and exuberance of the players won through and drew warm applause from a very satisfied audience.

After the interval, the brass players were joined by two (un-named) percussionists in a new arrangement by Iain Maxwell of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Procession of the Nobles, from Mlada".  Although the opera-ballet from which it is taken has not been accepted into the established repertoire, the "Procession of the Nobles" makes an effective item in its own right, requiring a crisp and clean attack and precise tonguing. 

Taken at a suitably stately tempo, the setting made much use of the piccolo trumpet, whilst the central section featured sweeping phrases on the trumpets and some impressive slide work from the busy trombone section, and the side drum and timpani complemented the brass effectively, particularly when the timpani hammered out their rhythm against the final sustained chord.

Tom Lane is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Composition with Philip Cashian at the Royal Academy.  His "Echo Phase" is a three movement work, contrasting the players in various combinations, the trumpets and trombones being divided two either side, with horn and tuba in the centre.  The "Andante sostenuto" set the trumpets and trombones against each other, those on the left opening with sustained chords, before those on the right, using cup mutes, took over, their sound emerging gradually from the open tones of the first group. 

As the music grew in volume and intensity, the horn and tuba entered, and there were some effective downward glissandi from the trombones.  The central "Scherzando" pitted individual instruments against each other, again making much use of mutes and interchange of ideas between the players.  The final "Vivace" concentrated on contrasts of pitch, with instruments being pushed towards the extremities of their range in both directions, with some stratospheric writing for the piccolo trumpet.  The composer was present to hear his work receive its premiere performance.

The final item in the programme was Derek Bourgeois' suite "William and Mary, Op 106".  Written in 1987 for the London Brass Virtuosi, and dedicated to the late John Fletcher, it celebrates the tercentenary of the accession to the throne of King William III and his wife, Queen Mary II or, as they were termed in Sellar and Yeatman's light-hearted history"1066 and all that", "Williamanmary"!  The site consists of five movements, the first being a "Fanfare" with definite Waltonian overtones, culminating in an almost ironic march-like section. 

"The Landing at Torbay and the Journey to London" opened with the flugel accompanied by three trombones before the tuba was featured under sustained writing for trumpet, horn and bass trombone.  A lively trumpet melody, supported by syncopated figures on the trombones led to the music growing in excitement, with a passacaglia for the lower brass under the trumpet tune, before the music died away with a horn melody over a gently pulsating rhythm from the trombones and tuba.  "The King's Champion" struck a suitably positive note, with powerful writing across the ensemble, lively and constantly pressing forward, whilst "The death of Mary" showed echoes of Purcell's "Funeral music for Queen Mary", with the full, sustained sound provided by the trombone quartet. 

The final section, entitled "Achievement", saw more interchange between the players, and contrasting figures moving between the trumpets and the lower brass.  It provided another opportunity for the players to shine, and they did not disappoint.

Occasionally, when a group of players get together to perform, the end result can be a little disappointing, as talented individuals do not always gel with one another.  The Brass Collective, however, do not seem to have this problem: there seemed to be no clashes of egos, and it was encouraging to see the parts being shared out liberally amongst the players, particularly in the trumpet section.  Their concert dress of black, with silver ties, was quite striking. 

There were no spoken introductions, although the (free) programme contained background notes on all the music as well as biographical information on the performers. The only major disappointment was the size of the audience, as less than sixty people were present for this debut concert.  It is to be hoped that it will not be too long before they perform together again, and that they are able to share their considerable potential with more people.

Peter Bale

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