Five Lakes Silver Band
Conductor: Christopher Ward
Soloist: David Koch; Chris Jackson

In the past few years under the astute direction of Music Director Christopher Ward, Five Lakes Silver Band from Southfield in Michigan has become one of the nation’s leading competitive ensembles.

Established in 2006 as a sperate musical organisation to its founding Oakland Brass Band, recent successes include a hat-trick of US Open victories as well as winning the North American Championship title in 2023.  

Bold confidence

As shown throughout the release (their first in for eight years) they display a bold musical confidence built on adept technique and flexible musical style.  The MDs understanding of the British brass banding tradition gives their tonality significant warmth and depth, shown to fine effect in the textured appreciation of Kenneth Downie’s ‘Stars of the Morning’  and the more austere emptiness of ‘Glow’  by Eric Whitacre. 

The MDs understanding of the British brass banding tradition gives their tonality significant warmth and depth

There is also an appreciation of compositional inspiration in the pieces themselves, with the bold opening title track 'Resurget Cineribus'  by Joel Collier (one of three commissions) not only referencing the Latin motto of the city of Detroit – ‘From the Ashes We Rise’,  but also more than a hint of Carl Orff and Peter Graham. 

Double Mercury

Philip Harper’s ‘St James’s – A New Beginning’  deliberately tips its storyboard hat in conflagration homage as the band draws neatly on the character packed sections, whilst ‘Mercury’  by Jan Van der Roost somehow brings together snippets of Rimmer, Elgar and Pierre Leemans as if they bumped into each other at a Belgian Whit Friday march contest.

It almost matches the bombastic theatrical pulse on show of another Mercury inspired piece in ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’  – although the band seem reluctant to let their ‘inner-Freddie’ loose in the vocals.   They are more at home though with the funky inflections of Simon Dobson’s ‘Backlash’  and the Detroit Motown sound of the Four Tops classic ‘Bernadette’  both delivered with stylish swagger.   

It almost matches the bombastic theatrical pulse on show of another Mercury inspired piece in ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’  – although the band seem reluctant to let their ‘inner-Freddie’ loose in the vocals. 

The featured soloists certainly know how to deliver in the spotlight. The splendid David ‘Cookie’ Koch imbues Children of Sachez’ with insouciant flair, whilst Chris Jackson provides playful mid-West nimbleness on the Eb tuba with Kevin Norbury’s ‘Badinage’.

Thrilling conclusion

Andrew Wainwright’s ‘Metamorphosis on Finlandia’ gives the composer and the band ample opportunity to display their talents; the familiar Sibelius thematic source material deconstructed, sifted and explored through a series of variant detours and stylistic avenues.

At times it is inherently unstable and dissonant, cells and motifs quickly appearing and disappearing, whilst others are more lasting in lyrical, patriotic intent.

The skilful scoring (with its own hints of noted appreciation from John Williams to Peter Graham) draws the dispersed elements back together for a thrilling choral inspired conclusion to a commanding premiere recording performance.

Iwan Fox 

To purchase:  https://www.fivelakessilverband.com/

Play list:

1. Resurget Cineribus (Joel Collier)
2. Backlash (Simon Dobson)
3. Stars in the Morning (Kenneth Downie)
4. The Children of Sanchez (Chuck Mangione)
Soloist: David ‘Cookie’ Koch

5. St James’s - A New Beginning (Philip Harper)
6. Mercury (Jan Van der Roost)
7. Don’t Stop Me Now (Freddie Mercury arr. Philip Harper)
8. Badinage (Kevin Norbury)
Soloist: Chris Jackson 

9. Metamorphosis on Finlandia (Andrew Wainwright)
10. Glow (Eric Whitacre)
11. Bernadette (Holland, Dozier, Holland arr. Philip Harper)