RNCM - Fairey Band

Conductor: Philip Chalk
Soloist: Lisa Sarasini
RNCM Festival of Brass
RNCM, Manchester
Sunday 1st February

Freakish smiles: Lisa Sarasini and composer Gavin Higgins enjoy the moment
Picture: Ian Clowes

More pictures at: http://www.pbase.com/troonly/0901_rncm_festival

Fairey remain a band in transition. The good news is that they are transforming into a very competent  top class outfit under Phil Chalk. 

The not so good news is that on the evidence of their RNCM appearance, it will take a bit more time before they finally get there. 

More credit than debit

Here they produced an uneven concert programme that by its end had plenty more entries in the credit side of the performance ledger, but also contained a few noticeable debits too.

Building a top class championship band does take time – and time is always against those playing catch up with rivals. In a few weeks they will be up against both Fodens and Leyland at Blackpool, and on this form they can expect to finish a few lengths behind both.

London quality

Fairey’s have improved greatly in the past year, but so too have both their rivals. Victory at the Winter Gardens at the Area contest may be a bit of a long shot, but getting to London should be well within their capabilities – and there was enough quality on show on Sunday morning to make sure of that, despite the more obvious frailties on display.

The obvious potential is blending slowly, but surely (they do have a real mix of both young and old in the ranks) and with each high profile outing they will become much more stable and musically coherent. Phil Chalk is working his doodaas off and it is paying dividends, albeit ones with the occasional nasty pay off.

Spirited

Here they started with a spirited account of Arnold’s ‘Fantasy for Brass Band’ that was broadly spaced with hints of the composer’s dark wit and melancholy. It was a good start, cleverly directed from the middle.

Cultured

Lisa Sarasini was a very cultured soloist in Gavin Higgin’s breathlessly enjoyable ‘Freaks’ – an ostentatious piece of musical mellow drama, inspired by a tale from the circus grotesque. If only the band had been able to contain its obvious relish for the music in terms of dynamics it would have given the audience more of an opportunity to enjoy a performer on top form.  

The first half was rounded off by yet more breathless playing in Vinter’s ‘Salute to Youth’ – played in the presence of the composer’s family. This was a modern ‘Salute’ to today’s more troubled youth – a hardened ‘Resilience’ followed by a rather lustful ‘Romance’, and a joy ride of a ‘Relaxation’. 

Out of breath

Such has been the technical progress of the best bands since the piece was written that the final movement can now be played in a manner that has little direct reference to its title. There is no sense of relaxation at the type of speed this was taken. Although the composer does indicate that it should be played as fast as possible that was when fast meant a Morris Minor just past the speed limit on the old A1, and not a teenager in a souped up Subaru Imprezza going hell for leather up the M6.  It was a mess – not helped by a bass end that at one point run out of breath.

Starch

Phil Lawrence’s ‘Time Machine’ provided an upbeat start to the second half – all funk and fun, whilst Walton’s ‘First Shoot’ contained some of the band’s best playing of the concert. Each of the miniatures portraits was cleverly realised by both MD and band in a rendition that neatly removed the formal 1930’s starch from its constraining collar.

More good work followed in Howarth’s ‘American Dream’, given a thoughtful and well balanced performance, before a visibly tired band then found itself faced with John McCabe’s classic ‘Cloudcatcher Fells’.

Mountain rescue

This is where the evidence of a band not quite being quite the finished article was heard. There were times when the Mountain Rescue teams were on standby as the great musical hike took its fair share of casualties, and one more than one occasion there was a real fear of complete disaster.

It was a pity for the band and the MD that the closing impression was one of struggle, as overall Fairey were decent value for money. Not quite up there with the very best on the weekend for sure, but not an insurmountable distance behind either.

Iwan Fox

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