Guildhall Brass Band

Conductor: Paul Cosh
Soloist: Philip Cobb
Regent Hall
Friday 16th October

The free lunchtime concert as part of Brass Arts Festival 2009 was given by the Guildhall Brass Band under their conductor Paul Cosh, and was particularly well attended. 

As the Guildhall School of Music and Drama does not offer a brass band course as such, the horn parts are played on French horns, whilst for the baritone and euphonium players trombone is their first study instrument.

Varied tone colours

They opened their programme with John Ireland’s “Comedy Overture”, the rich bass section sounding almost menacing at the start. It was a carefully shaped reading, with the cornet tone bright but warm, and the French horns adding their slightly darker tones to the texture. 

There was some incisive playing from the trombone section and only the occasional slip which detracted little from the overall performance.

Eric Ball – but not Torchbearers this time!

The basses were again centre stage in the opening of Eric Ball’s “Sunset Rhapsody”, with good work around the band. Maybe it was the memory of “Titan’s Progress” from the recent British Open, but the cornet fanfares sounded oddly Mahlerian! 

Paul brought out the contrasts of the work, with fluid playing from solo cornet and soprano, and an excellent horn solo, whilst the rises and falls were well measured. The horn melody towards the end sounded particularly majestic, and the final chord was neatly placed.

Positive playing

Changing the order from that in the printed programme, the band continued with Herbert Howells’ “Pageantry”, with some very slick fingering from the cornets and a steady tread form the basses. The playing in “King’s Herald” was very positive throughout, enhanced by some telling work from the three-woman percussion team, although it did seem a little too aggressive at times. 

The baritones at the opening of “Cortege” were nicely balanced, and the horn melody was warm and rich. 

There was some fine sustained, tenuto playing, with the cornets soaring over the band, although the occasional note failed to speak cleanly in the quieter passages. The antiphonal effects in “Jousts” worked particularly well, contrasting the mellowness of the horns with the brighter tones of the cornets, whilst there were first class solos from cornet and euphonium, and confident playing from the trombone section.

Masterly soloist

Philip Cobb, recently appointed as co-principal trumpet with the London Symphony Orchestra, is a former student at the Guildhall, and he joined the band to play “Share my yoke” (Joy Webb arr Bosanko). 

From the reception he got from both the audience and the members of the band it was clear that his inclusion was a popular choice, and he proceeded to give a masterclass in lyrical cornet-playing, with a full clear tone across all dynamics, and employing very long phrases. 

He was well supported by the band, although the introduction was a little bass-dominated, and would have benefited from more warmth of sound in the high-lying euphonium parts.

Accomplished soprano

The band’s final item was Henze’s “Ragtimes and Habaneras”, written for Grimethorpe during Elgar Howarth’s tenure as Musical Director, and recently revived by them to good effect. 

The Guildhall Brass Band broadcast the work themselves as part of the 2001 RNCM Brass Festival, although no doubt with a totally different line-up of personnel. Consisting of eleven short movements, it is a work full of contrasts, with lush sounds alternating with more percussive interludes, and Latin American influences frequently present in the various dance forms employed. 

Despite some first class playing, particularly in the exposed soprano part, it did not quite seem to gel as a performance, coming across as rather more disjointed than usual, and with the playing at times uncertain.

Nevertheless, it was a commendable effort and it was good to have a more recent work included in the programme. 

It was well received by the audience, who applauded each section of the band warmly, although the percussion section missed out on taking their bow, having moved up into the gallery as they were not required for the last two items.

Peter Bale

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