Katrina Marzella

Baritone Recital
The Great Hall
Wednesday, June 25th

Amidst all the huge belled, large-than-life bored tubas and euphoniums at this conference, it was a refreshing change to hear the lightness of the baritone voice in a solo recital, especially when in the hands of award winning Katrina Marzella.
 
With music from Japan, Sweden, and the UK, the programme looked intriguing, and she wasted no time in demonstrating the instrument after the brief introduction.
 
Perfect piece

TOCcatA was written in 2006 by Yoshio Nakahashi and it was the perfect piece to demonstrate Katrina’s clarity of technique and lightness of touch. I particularly enjoyed the lyrical singing style in the ‘Green Tea’ section.
 
Katrina then went on to explain how the baritone used to be thought of in days, not that long passed. She is in no doubt of the instruments somewhat ‘dubious’ past; Very much a ‘girls instrument’, players were often ‘put on Baritone because they were not good enough for the euphonium’, with it either sounding ‘like a thin euphonium, or a fat valve trombone’. 

She has a very natural way of communicating with her audience and these little gems of brass banding folklore were really something to enjoy.
 
Jan Sandstrom originally wrote ‘Sang till Lotta’ in 1991 for trombone, and it was brought to our attention in the UK recently when the brilliant young trombonist Peter Moore included it in his winning programme for the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.

Natural choice

It was a natural choice for this programme too on baritone and produced some of the most controlled, quiet playing to be savoured in the recital.
 
It was then a natural link to talking about the sound of the instrument and that how the instrument is still developing, and that the sound is not yet ‘set in stone’, thankfully it’s old nick-name of the ‘barking iron’ (associated with the old narrow bore high pitch instruments) is long gone.

Those who know the names of John Slinger and Colin Hardy, will know just how much the pairing of those two fine baritone players contributed to the famous sound of the Black Dyke Mills Band for over 20 years.
 
Baritone role

She also talked of its updated role in the brass band, which, thanks to more recent compositions, has seen composers write a much more versatile part. Sometimes blending with the tenor horns, sometimes the euphonium and tuba section, and even as a solo voice with featured cadanzas.

Katrina then asked volunteers to step up and play the baritone for themselves and offer various opinions on the instrument, its sound and how it played.
 
With many new manufacturers now in the market, it was interesting to note that Katrina uses a 4 valve model that’s recently been re-introduced.

Back in the early 1900’s there were 4 valve models readily available, but they were dropped soon afterwards in favour of the standard 3 valve compensating model. If my memory serves me correctly, the famous baritone part in Cyril Jenkins’ 1921 Crystal Palace test piece, ‘Life Divine’ takes the instrument down to a written F below the stave.

Mountain top
 
Another adaptation followed with Andy Scott’s ‘My Mountain Top’ (with words by Lemn Sissay) featuring a CD backing track.

Andy Scott is a respected freelance player and has played with many of the UK’s finest orchestras and chamber groups and is the founder member of the award winning Apollo Saxophone Quartet and a performing artist for (Selmer Paris) Instruments.
 
Arranged from the tenor saxophone part, for me this was the highlight of the recital. The opening enharmonic solo figures weaved in and out of the changing chords and inspiring words. The soloist, sometimes prominent, sometimes an accompaniment, became part of the scene and I have to admit to being so envious of those long, beautiful high notes!
 
Closing words

So with her closing words, Katrina brings us up to date with the current list of composers now writing quality music for the Baritone; Philip Sparke, Darrol Barry, Martin Ellerby and many more.
 
All too soon we are into the final piece in the programme, Bruce Fraser’s ‘Sun’. A 3 movement work depicting a journey through the dessert with more than just a touch of Afro/Celtic origins.

With wonderful contributions from percussion & piano, the trio was the perfect end to an enterprising recital.
 
The long queue to shake her hand, take photographs, congratulate etc. etc. at the front of the stage afterwards says more about this young virtuoso than any more words I can think of.
 
What I can say is the future of the baritone is in very safe hands - I hope we continue to share in its success at future conferences.
 
Charley Brighton

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