Conductor: Frans Violet
Soloist: Lode Violet
Elgar International Festival of Brass
The Bradshaw Hall
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Sunday 7th June 

The only feeling of disappointment from an impressive musical day in Birmingham came with the rather ambivalent attitude of the banding public to fully support it.

£50 to hear five bands and a world class soloist offered considerable value for money, although the late Sunday evening finish did make travel arrangements less attractive for those further afield. 

Willebroek’s appearance in Wantage on Saturday evening had drawn a small audience (their original concert had to be cancelled), so it was disheartening that their talents under Frans Violet, which have been well known for four decades and more, seemed so under-appreciated on this visit.

Exceptional band

Here, the hall was just over half full, but those who missed them will do well to book a ticket to hear them at the British Open. They are an exceptional band, even with a couple of notable players missing and a reduced percussion team.

Violet’s matelot was one of joyful virtuosity; sprightly and sure footed in the high tessitura of the rigging as well as wonderfully warm in his deck level lyricism.

The opening ‘Song t(w)o the North’  was a choreographed taste of Sweden, energised and fizzy in the familiar style of Paul Lovatt-Cooper.  Written by principal cornet Lode Violet, it provided the palette cleanser ahead of his substantive main course offering on Simon Van Hoeke’s ‘Fantasia on a Flemish Sea Song’.

A variant exploration of the sailor’s song, ‘Al die willen te kap’ren varen’,  Violet’s matelot was one of joyful virtuosity; sprightly and sure footed in the high tessitura of the rigging as well as wonderfully warm in his deck level lyricism.

Compelling narrative

The trio of major test-pieces that followed were a showcase of individual and ensemble talents (expertly balanced by the MD) – even if not all the percussion parts were covered.

It proved to be a compelling narrative of a ghost ship on the seas of Arabia and the Cape of Good Hope, although there were musical sightings closer to its Dutch home and the composer’s more recent works as it came to its conclusion.    

‘Mirage’,  inspired by the tale of ‘The Flying Dutchman’  is to be used as the set-work at the forthcoming World Music Contest in Kekrade. It proved to be a compelling narrative of a ghost ship on the seas of Arabia and the Cape of Good Hope, although there were musical sightings closer to its Dutch home and the composer’s more recent works as it came to its conclusion.    

Mythical tale

Willebroek’s homage to Philip Sparke came with ‘Evolution – Five States of Change’,  an expertly crafted treatise on tempo alignment and Chinese philosophy, each progressing from the other.  That it was originally written to challenge Fourth Division bands in The Netherlands did not for a moment undermine its compositional sophistication or the MDs equally informed take on the score.

A substantial programme came to an epically proportioned conclusion with the mythical tale of ‘Orpheus & Eurydice’  - Stijn Aertgeerts’ European Championship own-choice work played by the band in Linz (image above).

Its 25 character led storyline was drawn together in enthralled love, despair, sadness, godly retribution and final catharsis of pure Greek emotive tragedy.

Iwan Fox