RNCM Festival of Brass: Foden's Band

Conductor: Garry Cutt
Soloist: Glyn Williams
RNCM, Manchester
Saturday 23rd January

Images of Foden's performance can be viewed at: http://www.pbase.com/troonly/10rncmfodens

Foden’s and Garry Cutt had something pretty serious to live up to at this year’s Festival of Brass.

The band’s performance last year, when Garry Cutt shared the baton with Bramwell Tovey, was one of the most memorable concerts in recent history thanks to scintillating playing from the band and an inspirational programme.

Eclectic

With Bramwell Tovey not able to attend this year, Gary Cutt had a typically eclectic Festival programme to prepare, taking in a work from Peter Meechan’s student years in ‘Purcell Variants’, via Howarth’s ‘In Memoriam RK’ (a late replacement for Philip Sparke’s ‘Sea Pictures’, rehearsals for which became a victim of the weather), a new work from Foden’s Composer in Residence Andy Scott, featured composer Aagaard-Nilsen’s ‘Chant’ and a sprinkling of Salvation Army works by Heaton, Ball and Leidzen continuing another of this year’s Festival’s themes.

Peter Meechan’s extrovert Trumpet Concerto ‘Apophenia’ proved to be one of the hits of Foden’s programme last year, although his ‘Purcell Variants’ occupies quite different stylistic territory.

Haunting

Constructed on the haunting music Purcell wrote for the funeral of Queen Mary in 1695, the variations fuse dynamic, jazzy responses and transformations of Purcell’s music. 

However, it never loses sight of the atmosphere of the theme, which quietly frames the music of the opening movement as well as forming the basis for an atmospheric central movement which featured an off-stage Alan Wycherley in duet with Glyn Williams to fine effect.

If given a chance it’s a work that would make a cracking lower section test piece. 

Elgar Howarth’s ‘In Memoriam RK’ needed little introduction to the audience, many of whom will have recalled Foden’s impressive winning performance of the piece at the Master’s a few years ago.

Relish

This is music that Garry Cutt and the band relish and the shaping of the phrases, the subtleties and nuances of Howarth’s painstakingly intricate scoring and the searing passion of the climaxes were matched by a quite remarkable sense of peace and serenity come the final bars. It was music making that was simply a joy to behold.

In contrast, Andy Scott’s ‘Battle of Barossa’, a commemoration of the 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers famous capture of a French Golden Eagle during the Napoleonic Wars in 1811, seemed to lack the substance of some of his other recent works for brass band.

Authenticity

Ivor Stenson’s broad Northern Irish narration did add a degree of authenticity to the occasion and the band responded dynamically to the programmatic, even filmic style of the music.

With Leigh Baker’s ‘Battle of Bosworth Field’ programmed the following day, maybe it was case of one scrap too far, but ultimately Scott’s work of last year’s festival, ‘A World Within’, made a far more lasting impression. 

It was two Wilfred Heaton rarities that kicked off the second half of the concert. The wonderfully quirky and life affirming little march ‘Le Tricot Rouge’ was “produced” for the Tewit Youth Band in 1985 although, as Paul Hindmarsh explained, probably originated as a Salvation Army piece years before.

Hidden gem

This is a hidden gem of a march though. It’s over before you know it, but is immediately recognisable as Heaton with some witty, tongue in cheek dissonance towards the end that had the audience collectively grinning.

If the march was vintage Heaton, the world premiere of the original ‘Scherzo’ from his ‘Partita’ as unearthed by Paul Hindmarsh, was less recognisable as the composer of ‘Contest Music’. 

Softer edged than the gritty Heaton we know from his major works, it is nonetheless melodically attractive although not a piece we are likely to hear regularly again; but that very fact is one of the joys of attending the Festival of Brass.

Glyn Williams was a lucid, beautifully full toned soloist in Erik Leidzen’s ‘Song of the Brother’, demonstrating formidable technique and clarity in the final variation of a piece which is very much brass band memorabilia these days.

SA roots

In a second half dominated by music from SA roots, Aagaard-Nilsen’s ‘Chant’ felt somewhat at odds with its bedfellows, yet this short seven minute piece written in 2007, made quite an impression in the RNCM Concert Hall.

It’s gradually increasing layers of contrapuntal complexity, growing from a simple Gregorian “chant” inspired melodic line was given magnificent transparency by the band in music that requires careful attention to balance and clarity.

No bad thing

As had been the case with ‘In Memoriam RK’, the audience were hearing 'Journey into Freedom' for the second consecutive year at the Festival; maybe no bad thing given the lack lustre performance of the piece given by Brighouse in 2009.

If Brighouse’s performance last year lacked any real emotion, Foden’s had it in spades in a finely measured and controlled performance that glowed from start to finish. 

Les Neish revelled in the slow Eb bass solo, singing the melody with real pathos, whilst the hushed sounds leading into the final sunrise and affirmation had the audience holding its breath.

It was an emotionally powerful conclusion to the concert that just left a lively gallop through 'The Cossack' as an encore. 

For the band to have matched the magnificence of last year’s concert would have been a tall order indeed....but it in the event it was a close run thing indeed.    

Chris Thomas 

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