City of London Symphonic Winds

Conductor: John K. Andrews,
Charley Brighton, Euphonium
St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden
Sunday 10th February

As the streets around were still thronged with people out celebrating Chinese New Year, and as the glitterati were gathering at the Royal Opera House for the annual BAFTA award ceremony, St Paul’s Church echoed to the sounds of massed wind instruments in a concert that included the premiere of the latest version of Terry Treherne’s “Concertante for Euphonium”, played by its dedicatee, Charley Brighton.  

City of London Symphonic Winds was conducted by the rising young talent John Andrews, whose flamboyance and enthusiasm created quite an impression.

They commenced the evening with Felix Mendelssohn’s “Overture for Band” (arr Felix Greissle), a work written for a wind band that the composer had encountered whilst on holiday at a Baltic Sea resort. 

After a mellow opening dominated by the sound of the four French horns, various soloists exchanged phrases one with another, with echoes of “Fingal’s Cave”, before the full ensemble was heard for the first time at the “Allegro Vivace”.  Rippling runs by the clarinets were supported by crisp rhythmic figures, making for an excellent opener, only marred by a few minor intonation issues in the middle of the band.

There followed a mass exodus of players as the platform was rearranged in preparation for Antonin Dvorak’s “Serenade in D minor, Op 44”.  This, the second of two serenades (the first, Op 22, being for strings) is scored for 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, double bassoon, 3 horns, cello and double bass, and on this occasion the cello and bass parts (the latter duplicating the double bassoon) were played on euphonium and tuba respectively, calling for great control on behalf of the players concerned. 

The opening “Moderato quasi Marcia” has a distinctive, dark sound, led by the oboes, and punctuated by descending runs from the lower instruments.  The woodwind instruments feature in pairs, often answering each other, with solo passages for oboes, clarinet and bassoon, and a warm horn chord to conclude the movement. 

The “Menuetto” itself was fairly subdued, with smooth, flowing lines, but this contrasted with the lively and exuberant trio section, led by the clarinets.  There was some intrusive rattling of keys in some of the quieter passages, but also some deft phrasing from the soloists, who managed to bring an element of personal interpretation without detracting from the overall ensemble.

It was in the “Andante con Moto” that the absence of cello and bass presented most problems, with the slow arpeggio phrases not quite coming off, being rather more reminiscent of the opening of “Die Rheingold” than Dvorak, despite the best efforts of the players involved. 

Repeated arching three note phrases, rising and falling, built up the intensity, although causing a few difficulties for the generally excellent horn players.  Turns embellishing the melodic line were neatly accomplished, and the descending scales towards the end, together with the final runs in contrary motion, were well balanced.

The final “Allegro Molto” opened with all the players in unison, before the return of the original theme from the first movement.  Several of the secondary players were featured in solo passages and acquitted themselves well, the music recalling Beethoven’s wind writing in the finale of the “Choral Symphony”, whilst the dance-like figures reminded the listener of Dvorak’s own “Slavonic Dances”. 

With hunting motifs from the horns bringing the piece to a close it made for a refreshing change of timbre from the full wind orchestra sound, and was applauded warmly by the audience and the remaining players, who had occupied seats either side of the church during the performance.

Terry Treherne was conducting Alder Valley Brass when he first worked with soloist Charley Brighton.  His “Concertante for Euphonium” was originally written for euphonium and string orchestra, with a version for euphonium and piano being premiered in 2005.  

The composer remarked that the rehearsal prior to the concert was the first opportunity for him to hear the wind band orchestration other than through his computer, and it was unfortunate that due to a combination of illness and the logistics of having to rehearse in a small hall, rather than in the church, the performance took place without the prominent parts for timpani and glockenspiel. 

Written in a single movement, and predominantly pastoral in nature, the piece opened with rather meandering lines of accompaniment, mainly in the lower half of the band, before the soloist entered with a sustained melodic line.  A lilting 6/8 “Allegro con spirito” set the lively euphonium part against side drum figures and interjections from various sections of the ensemble. 

The flutes were used only sparingly, most of the emphasis being on the middle and bass sections, but the soloist was never overshadowed. 

The main theme appeared in full for the first time, initially accompanied by the clarinet choir and tuba, later replaced by a brass chorale, followed by an effective few bars for trombones and tuba.  Much of the solo line was in the upper register, exploiting Charley’s prowess in that part of the range and with long, expressive phrases. 

The return of the “Allegro” was marked by an oboe solo answered by the soloist, before the full sound of the ensemble led into the finale, in which the majestic solo line soared over the accompaniment. 

Despite the accompaniment being a little tentative at times, no doubt due to the limited rehearsal time, the new version seemed to be a success.  It should be a useful addition to the repertoire, and is a tribute to Charley’s efforts in promoting new music for his instrument.

Following an interval, during which refreshments were served, and there was the opportunity to mix with the players, the second half of the concert commenced with the old warhorse “Finlandia” (Jean Sibelius), favourite of many a massed band concert, and often over-blown and over-indulgent. 

In the hands of John Andrews, however, and with the additional colours and extended range offered by the wind orchestra, the performance was well-paced and finely-balanced, with just the right mixture of power and delicacy, topped off by some excellent piccolo playing.  Much was made of the contrasting dynamics, with some well-controlled pianissimos, tidy repeated semiquavers and sweeping woodwind scales, whilst the trombones cut through the texture towards the end.

Gustav Holst composed his “Hammersmith – Prelude and Fugue” for the BBC Military Band in the 1930s, although it was not performed in its original version until 1954, twenty years after the death of the composer, since which time it has become a well-established part of the wind orchestra repertoire.

Holst taught at St Paul’s Girls School in Hammersmith for many years, and would have known the area well, the music depicting the river as it languorously wends its way. 

The music starts with the basses, joined by the horns, playing long, sustained lines.  The evocative sound of a trio of flutes, playing low in their register, is followed by the distinctive sound of the Eb clarinet, beautifully played on this occasion, and showing that in the right hands this rather temperamental beast can be tamed! 

The bassoon was also featured, with interjections from piccolo and trumpet, before the fugue began with the flutes and moved down the orchestra.  At the first tutti, the various elements came together in a wash of sound, flowing woodwinds backed by sustained brass chords, with whole sections frequently playing in unison.  An alto sax melody led to an unaccompanied passage on clarinet, joined by flute and oboe.

 The conductor did well to keep control of the disparate elements, with disjointed and angular phrases needing to dovetail one with another, the scoring being quite sparse at times.  At the close, John Andrews remained with arms raised, delaying any applause until the last echoes of the music had died away. 

The concert ended with four movements from “Carmen” (Georges Bizet), commencing with the “Toreador’s Song”.  The conductor ensured that the melodic line was well sustained, producing more of a string-like effect, whilst sweeping woodwind phrases led into the repeat of the tune, although a little over-enthusiasm towards the end contributed to some dodgy intonation in the final shot-note chord.

The lesser-known “Nocturne” featured the French horn section, before the cornet took up the theme.  Next came the commanding presence of the “Dragoons of Alcala”, their music stately and dignified, before the final “Bohemian Dance”. 

This last movement, which became “Beat out that rhythm on a drum” in the updated “Carmen Jones”, set the flute trio against quaver figures on clarinets and bassoons, before building in tempo and excitement as the whole ensemble brought the evening to a rousing conclusion.

Peter Bale

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