Zone One Brass

Conductor: Paul Archibald
Regent Hall, London
Friday 10th October

The traditional free lunchtime concert of the Brass Arts Festival 2008 was given by Zone One Brass under their Musical Director, trumpeter extraordinaire Paul Archibald. 

Since its formation in 2002 the band, which is the Band in Residence at the Royal College of Music, has risen to the Championship Section, and Paul took over the helm following the move to Cornwall of their former conductor Simon Dobson.

Favourite opener

They opened their programme with an old favourite, Eric Ball’s “Star Lake”, taken at a fairly steady pace which allowed all the detail to come through. Dynamics were closely observed, as were the note values, with a broad approach to the bass solo that bore dividends.

Their first solo item was given by tuba player Mark Grainger, who presented “Gabriel’s Oboe” from “The Mission”. The band provided a sustained organ-like accompaniment, and Mark produced a subtle and moving reading, coping admirably with the high-lying solo line. The duet with timpani over a bass pedal was most effective, and his full, rich sound carried well even over the band’s tutti towards the end.

Freakish contrast

In total contrast, Principal Trombone Jon Stokes startled and amazed the audience with Gavin Higgins’ colourful “Freaks”, inspired by a 1932 silent film set in a freak show. 

The music incorporated a wide range of styles, including a gentle waltz, with some delicate playing from the band, and smoochy passages where the soloist received excellent support from the rest of the trombone section. There was considerable humour in the circus music and the Kletzmer style extracts, and the soloist was not even fazed when a sheet of his music fell to the floor, simply bending forward slightly and reading off the copy where it was. 

Duck woman

Other touches of colour included the appearance of kazoos, played by the cornet section, a duck quack and a swannee whistle. Following the plot of the film, the concluding bars portrayed the “normal” woman, who had tried to take advantage of some of the more freakish characters, being transformed by them into a ghoulish “duck woman”, hence the final scream from the band. It was a real tour de force from both band and soloist, modern music which was nevertheless very approachable and audience-friendly.

Excellent exponent

Craig Bennett, the band’s former soprano cornet player and an excellent exponent of the piccolo trumpet, currently occupies the Principal cornet seat, and he presented “Share my Yoke” (Webb arr Bosanko). Following a nicely balanced opening by the euphoniums, baritones and basses he gave a thoughtful and sensitive reading, albeit with a straighter cornet sound than many.

Anthony Sommerville, Principal Euphonium, is a member of the Band of the Grenadier Guards, as well as Hadleigh Temple Band. Playing Peter Graham’s “Brillante” the bravura opening cadenza, covering a very wide range and culminating in a lip trill, led into the variations, taken at a cracking pace. Even when the odd high note failed to sound clearly he was not put off, recovering well, and finishing with quite a flourish.

Intonation

The next band item was Jan van der Roost’s “Canterbury Chorale”, inspired by the expansive vaulted ceilings of Canterbury Cathedral. There was an almost Wagnerian quality to the opening, although there were slight intonation problems between soprano and solo cornet. 

Overall, the balance was well-judged as each section came to prominence, with a French horn like sound from the middle of the band, and a very impressive pianissimo finish, the basses joining almost imperceptively.

Finale

For their finale, they chose a second item that received its premiere at the Star Lake Music Camp. Peter Graham’s “Shine as the Light”, dedicated to the memory of tuba player Al Honsberger, exploits the colours of the band to good effect, and Paul Archibald made the most of the contrasting tones and textures. 

Celebratory note

The two-man percussion team made an effective contribution, although one did notice the absence of a full-size bass drum at one key moment. The aleatoric section worked particularly well, with strong figures from the cornets set against the repeated “Light Me” phrases, which grew in intensity. The piece ended on a suitably celebratory note with the tune “The light has come” ringing out, and a spectacular tam-tam at the climax.

As an encore, the cornets and flugel came to the front of the platform for “Valero” (James Swearingen, arr Sandy Smith), Paul Archibald taking a seat in the audience to sit back and enjoy the show. 

It was a suitably vibrant performance, with a lively flugel solo by Jason Pickering, which set the seal on a most enjoyable programme from a band which continues to develop under Paul’s leadership.

Peter Bale

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