A Summer Festival of Music

Ascot Brass
Conductor: Bryan Catcheside
Philip Cobb, trumpet, cornet and flugel; Richard Phillips, piano
Compre: Frank Renton
High Wycombe
Saturday 28th June

The first of what is intended to be an annual series of charity concerts was presented by Ascot Brass with guest soloist Philip Cobb. 

Arranged by Mark and Helen Selwood of Exland Associates, the evening was to raise money for the Salvation Army’s Embrace Appeal, which supports needy children around the world. 

Notable

The programme was also notable on account of the premieres of two new works by Dean Jones, Solo Euphonium with Ascot Brass, and the proceedings were in the safe hands of Frank Renton. Ascot Brass was formed in 2001 to rehearse music and give concerts for charity, its members coming from several bands in the area, with a number of affiliate members who help out when regular players are not available. 

Sparkling opener

After the players had taken their places on the fairly cramped platform there was a rather quaint touch as a drum beat signalled they should take their seats. Following an announcement regarding mobile phones, photography and Health & Safety issues, Musical Director Bryan Catcheside took up the baton to lead the band in Peter Graham’s “Akademische Festfanfare”. This proved an appropriately sparkling opener, the bright sound of the cornets and trombones contrasting with the mellower tones of the middle of the band. 

The sound was nicely balanced, if a little on the loud side for the hall, which is not particularly large, and would have been presented a very different acoustic to the church where they regularly rehearse. The student’s song “Gaudeamus Igitur”, familiar from its use in Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture”, not to mention the Mario Lanza film “The Student Prince”, was introduced, and the uplifting ending was topped by some fine soprano playing by Angus Mitchell.

At ease

Frank Renton can always be relied upon to put both players and listeners at their ease, and he soon developed a good rapport with the audience, with brief introductions and snippets of background information, acknowledging that most people are more interested in that than in a detailed musical analysis. 

After he had explained something of the diversity of Stephen Bulla’s musical career, the band presented his march “Montclair Citadel”, with the occasional echo of the classic “Montreal Citadel”. There was some clean playing from the cornet section in particular, entrusted with some tricky runs to negotiate, whilst the main melody had a suitably jaunty feel to it. 

The hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” crept in almost imperceptibly before being taken up by the whole band, and there was some agile slide work from the trombones in the bass solo.

Renewed interest

Introducing “Tara’s Theme” from “Gone with the wind” Frank referred to the recent stage production which seemed to have sparked a renewed interest, explaining that the theme was receiving two performances at another festival over the weekend, one of which he was conducting. Alan Catherall’s arrangement worked well, with some excellent horn playing and the warm, balanced sound of the band allowed each solo line and countermelody to be heard clearly.

For Philip’s first slot he was accompanied by Richard Phillips, Bandmaster of Kettering Citadel Band and formerly the pianist for the International Staff Songsters. Frank Renton’s introduction reminded the audience of Philip’s place in the Cobb dynasty, following in the footsteps of great-grandfather Fred, grandfather Roland – who was present to hear Philip play – and father Stephen, as well as his brother, Matthew. 

Total control

Philip commenced on a rotary-valve piccolo trumpet, astounding the audience with his dexterity and fluency as he presented a concerto by Leopold Mozart. With smooth articulation alternating with glittering roulades and trills, and frequently playing in the highest register, he demonstrated his total control of the instrument.

Next he took up the cornet for Gerry Shoults’ setting of William Himes’ chorus “All that I am”. The words were projected onto the screen as Philip played, with long phrases flowing seemingly effortlessly, and with a powerful crescendo towards the end, supported throughout by Richard’s impeccable accompaniment.

His third piece was the finale of Johann Hummel’s “Trumpet Concerto”, originally written for a keyed trumpet, and played here on an Eb trumpet. It was taken at a fearsome pace, with clean runs and neat tonguing, making much of the dynamic contrasts, particularly in the echoing passages.

Languid

Introducing Goff Richards’ “Shepherd’s Song” – based on one of Canteloube’s “Songs of the Auverne” settings – Frank Renton explained regretfully that the composer is far from well at present. The atmospheric opening, with muted cornets and trombones, was captured well, although the glockenspiel seemed rather insecure. The languid cornet solo played by Mark Dallas, stepping up from sub-principal for the evening, was most effective.

Before the band played Dean Jones’ “El es el Senor” one of the percussionists disappeared off-stage, to emerge with what must be one of the biggest sombreros ever made. Based on the chorus “He is the Lord”, the piece is full of the atmosphere of the bullfight, with driving rhythms under the melody, which initially appears on flugel and horn. 

More panache

Nick Tiplady on flugel seemed rather out on a limb, seated on the back row and not by the horns, but the melody was nicely pointed and horn and flugel blended together well. On the whole, however, the performance was a little too straight-laced, particularly the cornet solo and duet, where more panache is really called for.

“Waltz No 2 from the Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra” is one of the more unusual offerings from the Soviet era. Frank Renton explained how Stalin had decreed that first of all a State Jazz Orchestra should be established, and then also a Variety Stage Orchestra, to show that the Soviet Union could compete with whatever the west had to offer. Shostakovich was commissioned to write for both groups, and the haunting “Waltz” has grown in popularity since its use in the Stanley Kubrick film “Eyes Wide Shut”. 

The subtle arrangement was by Nigel Hall, making good use of the various sections of the band, notably the opening horn melody, passages featuring the back row cornets and a feature for the bass trombone. For this item, Frank Renton took up the baton, coaxing a suitably lilting performance from the band.

Dance of the Buffoons

To close the first half, Ascot Brass performed Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Buffoons” (arr Dave Timmins). It is an extract from “The Snow Maiden”, although Frank explained he much preferred its Russian title, “Snegurochka“. It made for a vigorous finale, with plenty of running about for the cornet section and exposure for the back row, and the chance for some full-blooded tutti playing, although once again this could have been a little more restrained.

As the second half was about to commence, Roland Cobb entered to take his seat, giving Frank the opportunity to present him to the audience, which responded with a warm round of applause. The band then launched into more music by Goff Richards, his lively “Breezin’ Down Broadway”, which featured some excellent playing by the four-strong trombone section, although there were a few intonation problems between euphoniums and baritones, and the percussion team seemed a little uncertain at times. Apart from this, however, the band caught the spirit of the music well, maintaining the impetus and vitality from start to finish in exhilarating style.

Roots

Nick Tiplady on flugel was then featured in Don Morrison’s arrangement of “Every time we say goodbye”, Frank describing the arranger, who had his roots in The Salvation Army, as having been one of banding’s unsung voices, as he worked exclusively in the south of England rather than plying his trade in the banding heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire. 

The soloist’s playing was first class and there was more fine work from the trombones, occasionally turned into a quintet by the addition of the first baritone. The accompaniment was a little too straight at times, however, the band as a whole not seeming really at home with the style.

The first of two premieres from the pen of Dean Jones was entitled “Olympia”: inspired by the forthcoming Beijing Olympics, this short piece comprised four sections: “Parade”, a percussion-led fanfare, mainly scored for cornets and trombones, with the bass trombone particularly prominent; “The Games”, a sustained anthem encapsulating the spirit of the games; “Competition”, where the music picked up in tempo with driving rhythms and a jig-like quality, as well as echoes of Sousa’s “Chariot Race”; and finally “Victory”, which saw the return of the anthem, “Star Wars” style rhythms from percussion and bass trombone, and with the euphonium soaring over the band at the end. 

This colourful item, similar in style in some ways to Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s “When Eagles Sing”, should be a useful addition to the repertoire, particularly for anyone looking for something topical in an Olympic year.

Commanding

Richard Phillips accompanied Philip Cobb in Carl Hohne’s “Slavische Fantasie”, the commanding opening bars of the introduction setting the tone for an extremely colourful and vivid performance. Unlike some who prefer to play safe, Philip is a performer who is willing to take risks and to push the boundaries, with very fierce attack at times and with some of the runs at lightning speed, yet cleanly articulated. There was a rather surreal moment at one point when the trumpet stopped playing, and the birds outside could be heard singing away for a few seconds before the solo recommenced. It was a gripping rendition, full of passion and verve, which kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

Appreciation

Frank spoke of meeting Len Ballantine when he was asked to take part in one of The Salvation Army’s Christmas Concerts, commenting on the Major’s gift as a communicator, and that came across in Philip’s rendition of the song “Don’t doubt him now” (Ballantine, arr Craig Woodland). Once again, the projection of the words was helpful, reminding the audience of the words associated with the melody. The accompaniment was a little heavy at times, but Philip’s clear cornet sound still came across, and the seemingly endless final note was met with silent appreciation before applause broke out.

Comfortable

Philip’s appearances with the group “Brass Collective” have shown that he is just as comfortable with a flugel in his hands as he is with cornet or trumpet. Dean Jones wrote the Latin-American influenced “Calima” to showcase his warm, jazzy sound, the solo part having an improvisatory feel to it. The band may not have been over comfortable with the required style, a little stodgy in the bass and with the percussion not as steady as they could have been, but Philip dazzled everyone with his fluent and idiomatic playing. 

There had been some discussion between Frank and Dean regarding the appropriate pronunciation of the title, but regardless of how it was to be pronounced it was a very impressive premiere. Frank Renton later confided that Philip’s tutor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama had referred to him as “the next big thing on the British music scene” and on the evidence of Saturday’s performance one would have to agree.

Two items from Peter Graham followed, although the programme and Frank’s notes had wrongly attributed the first one to Goff Richards, Bryan Catcheside pointing out the error just before the band played. “Swedish Folk Song”, a setting of the tune associated with the hymn “How great Thou art”, elicited some fine playing from both soloists and band, the conductor keeping the music flowing throughout, the only drawback being the slightly muffled sound of the glockenspiel.

London celebration

Frank initially questioned whether there would be any pictorial images to accompany “A London Celebration”, written when the composer was serving as Bandmaster at the Regent Hall Corps. (In fact the images that accompanied the original performance are long gone, predating as they did the era of the Powerpoint presentation, as was discovered when another band recently made enquiries for a recent concert performance.) 

As Frank pointed out afterwards, however, the melodies were so well known that there was no need for any visual aids, starting from the atmospheric river scene somewhat reminiscent of Vaughan Williams’ “London Symphony”, and moving through such familiar tunes as “The Yeoman of the Guard”, “London Pride”, “Who will buy?” and the concluding “Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner”. The band met the challenges of the work head-on, with athletic cornets, majestic trombones and a melting horn solo from Doug Wilson in “A nightingale snag in Berkeley Square”. The sudden tempo changes were handled most convincingly and all in all it was a first-rate performance.

Classic end

The programme ended with one of The Salvation Army’s classic marches, Erik Leidzen’s “On the King’s highway”, marked by crisp dotted rhythms from the cornet section and a wide range of dynamics. In the quieter sections in particular the band showed great control and restraint, and the trombone glissandi towards the end were given just the right degree of prominence. It brought to a close an excellent evening’s entertainment which had raised the sum of £550 for a very worthy cause. 

Frank Renton commended the band for their efforts, all the more so because they get together just to enjoy making their music, rather than with a view to competing with others.

Peter Bale

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