RNCM - Leyland Band

RNCM Festival of Brass
Conductor: Jason Katsikaris
Soloist: Katrina Marzella
RNCM, Manchester
Saturday 31st January

Kat's whiskers: Katrina Marzella purrs...
Photo: Ian Clowes

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

Leyland must be a brilliant band to play in under Jason Katsikaris. Nothing is ever boring.

Exciting, vibrant, messy, inspired, scruffy, ambitious, foolhardy, brilliant, eyebrow raising, beautiful – you name it, Leyland do it – at times in spades.

All that and more
 
Here they were all that and more on Saturday afternoon with a concert programme that left us all a little breathless.

The great stuff was great – no doubt about it.

Sparkling form

Katrina Marzella was on sparkling form on the Ellerby ‘Baritone Concerto’ – a display of such virtuosity that it sent a shiver down the old spine. Simon Dobson’s ‘Penlee’ meanwhile was mesmeric – a tone poem of such intensity that you almost felt the crashing waves of the cruellest of seas lapping at your feet in the Royal Northern Concert Hall.

On the other hand, John Ireland’s ‘Downland Suite’ was a box of musical dolly mixtures – a collection of movements that seemed to not quite belong to each other, whilst the thrill a minute ‘John O’ Gaunt’, brought the old hell raiser back to life as if he was character out of a Hammer House of Horror movie.   

Jackson Pollack

Add to that a rendition of John Golland’s ‘Sounds’ that was put together like a Jackson Pollack painting, but still sounded attractive at a distance, and a ‘Lowry Sketchbook’ that hung by the seat of its pants, and you couldn’t ask for anything more.

If Leyland play like this at every concert then you better buy a season ticket. 
 
The opening Vinter overture put a smile on the face. The MD had obviously done his historical homework on the lad, and deliberately brought all the colour and excitement of his adventurous escapades to life.

Thrilling

Vinter by all accounts was disappointed by the piece, thinking that it didn’t really work as intended, but here it was revealed in all its Technicolor glory. It touched on the OTT in places and the sense of drama became a little like an American wrestling bout, but you couldn’t help be impressed by the effort in bringing the piece so thrillingly to life.

We don’t know if Katrina Marzella enjoys the type of life John O’ Gaunt found to his liking, but on the evidence of this performance she would most probably have given him a run for his money.

Stonker

This was a stonker – playing that only a few of the very finest brass players in the banding movement can match, let along better. Each movement was delivered with musical character, each technical hurdle overcome with such elegant ease – it was a baritone masterclass.

As for Ireland’s ‘A Downland Suite’. Well. This was as if we were being transported back and forth in some sort of misfiring musical time machine. It was a heady old mix of tempos, styles and timbres that you couldn’t quite ever get a hook on just where it was coming from, or going to.

Prince Charles

One minute it seemed contemporary, the next 1930’s pastiche. It all amounted to an interesting and enjoyable performance though – although one that sounded like a visit to one of those ‘model’ villages Prince Charles makes his serfs live in – a mix of Barratt Housing in the style of Capability Brown.

The undoubted banding highlight though was Simon Dobson’s electrifying ‘Penlee’ – a musical tone poem of such emotional intensity it sent a spasm through your body.

Untamed cruelty

The tragic tale was brought to almost terrifying life – a story of heroism few can imagine. Even when the waters had calmed and the souls of the bravest of men had been claimed for eternity, the troubled undercurrent of natures untamed cruelty remained. Not since the original ‘Resurgam’ has the opening stanza of Ball’s masterpiece been so relevantly quoted. 

The only pity was that the intensity of such an outstanding performance from the band wasn’t enhanced by the story being told before they played, rather than after – it seemed needless at that point.

Sound mess

On close inspection ‘Sounds’ was a mess. Thankfully it is a piece that allows for admiration from afar – and it was necessary in this case.

Jason Katsikaris provided his band with a very liberal template to showcase their talents, but on this occasion the harder they tried the more obvious the failings. It was pretty average stuff, sloppy errors, poor ensemble precision and tuning and a feeling that it was in need of a few more hours of preparation work before it should have been revealed for public display.

Acid tab

That just left Philip Wilby’s ‘Lowry Sketchbook’, which was a sketchbook drawn a bit like Rolf Harris on an acid trip. You could tell what it was right from the start, and the opening two movements were some of the band’s best playing of the day – classy solo work and superbly rounded band sounds.

Then the tab kicked in and all hell broke loose on the page. Why the bit of Bach was taken at such a lick was beyond us – the poor trombonist was reduced to trying to perform like the Lurpack man.

In the excitement stakes it was red hot – too hot to handle in places, but it certainly left an impression on the mind – even if it was like being hit in the head with a shovel at times.

Royally entertained

After you came to your senses the audience left to enjoy a relaxing cup of tea – knowing all too well that they had certainly been entertained royally.

To paraphrase then: Leyland were - exciting, vibrant, messy, inspired, scruffy, ambitious, foolhardy, brilliant, eyebrow raising, beautiful – and complete value for money. 

Iwan Fox

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