2007 Australian National Band Championships - Report: C Grade Own Choice and Stage March

A report on the performances of bands in the C Grade Own Choice and March.

C Grade Own Choice and March

Yagoona District Brass (NSW)

Own Choice: The Kindgom Triumphant - Eric Ball
Steady start with good round sounds. Cornets very direct sound. Very good dynamic range displayed. Euph counter melody over balancing back row cornet melody. Intonation problems in Soprano. Excellent balance in louder sections. Euphonium melody slightly out of tune. Melodic lines not always linking up. Well sustained tuba lines. Clean trombone lines. Unison rhythms not always together. Descending cornet figure not smooth. Lost tone quality in loud dynamics. Some missed entried in cornets. Bass accents not very powerfuland out of tune. Much better sop work in the finish. Timpani not in tune with brass. Very convincing last chord.

March: The Cossack - W Rimmer
Start very together and sustained. Could be softer at the main tune. A little too comfortable. Good dynamic variations. Dotted rhythms very well executed. Percussion very well balanced with the brass. Bass melody lost clarity with semiquavers not sounding. Nice singing style from Euph in Trio. Flugel overpowering the melody on DC. Very nice cut offs throughout. A very tight performance.

Greater Bendigo Concert Brass (Vic)

Own Choice: Crusade - Rieks van der Velde
Cornets too powerful at the beginning. Nice round band sound. Excellent mood change with good smooth playing. Basses a little light on. Off beats not quite in the right spot. Flugel intonation a problem in solos. Middle of the band and clarity of each line tended to get lost in louder dynamics. Excellent dynamic changes. Nice unison trombone playing. Good work solo cornet. Soprano dominates whenever playing. Percussion always drowned out by brass. Sound tended to be a jumble rather than individual lines working together. Cornet fanfare overstated. Very heroic ending. Lts of very powerful playing.

March: Ravenswood - W Rimmer
Confident opening. Cornets too loud in melody. Good dynamic changes. Upbeat quavers not always together. Good sop and cornet duet. Bass melody a little cloudy. A very nice stylistic apprpach to this march. Snappy ending.

Sunshine Community Brass (Vic)

Own Choice: Variations on a Chord - Jan de Haan
Exciting opening. Good dynamic vriation from the outset. Excellent Euph solo. Good tempo changes. Muted cornets not in tune. Very well balanced. Brass not always in time with percussion. Cymbals not balancing band. Excellent bass work - Eb's very well done on fast moving quavers. Nice cornet solo, though a few slips. Syncopated accompaniment clear and effective. Excellent stylistic changes between variations. Very full bass melody. Rhythmically unison conclusion very very effective. Ending a little cloudy but very exciting.

March: The Champions - G H Willcocks
Very strong chords. Ascending and descending quavers getting lost in chords. More dynamic variation needed. Cornets obligato not in time with band. Good, clear dotted notes. Melody and counter melody both very strong, but not working together. Very steady performance.

Marist Brothers Bendigo (Vic)

Own Choice: Partita for Band - Philip Wilby
Good dynamic effects and very clear rhythms during opening. Good intonation during loud playing. Very good style in second movement, with solo lines passed around the band well. Clear bell tones produced. Nice strong trombone work. Band and percussion together rhythmically with tight ending. Warm euph line passed on well to tubas. Good swells. Lovely, lilting feel to third movement. Nice interplay between muted cornet and tenor horn. Good tonal changes for different styles. Soprano well sustained and controlled. Clear tenor horn solo with good intonation. Good dynamic variation displayed at beginning of fourth movement with solid soprano. A good attempt at trombone/tuba duet. Excellent articulation in lower end. Well balanced between all melodic lines. Technical proficiency displayed in very clear semiquaver runs. Some intonation lost in very loud playing, but rhythmically very tight.  

March: Ravenswood - W Rimmer
Very steady pace showing good dynamic variation. Loud dynamics are a bit overstated. Nice cornet solo with soft dynamics well balanced. Excellent balance between cornet and euphonium in Trio. Good obligato from Soprano. Solid rhythms from lower end. Good syncopation from whole band. Tuba and euph semiquavers lost in volume. Some tone lost a bit due to overplaying a little in loud sections. A very tight performance.

Toronto Brass (NSW)

Own Choice: Tone Poem: The Present Age - Leslie Condon
Excellent opening displaying a wide range of styles and dynamics, moving very effectively between all. Clear articulation in soft playing. Tuba intonation issues evident in exposed unison notes. Very singing horn lines. Very smooth melodies. A few missed notes in hard cornet melody. Good cross rhythms between band sections. Good time changes. Trombone intonation problem in low register. Very broad chordal work. Nice horn work. Excellent articulation. Very singing flugel. Good interplay between flugel and horn with expressive phrasing. Very smooth hymn tune with all obligatos coming forth during well controlled dynamics. Percussion spot on. Singing Euphoniums. Excellent technical work from Solo cornet.  Solid work from euphs in high register. Very exciting loud playing without overblowing.

March: Praise - Wilfred Heaton
Excellent dynamic control and precise rhythms to open. Good echoing. Small slip in sop. Good dynamic phrasing from cornets. Very clear semiquavers. Excellent semiquavers work in bari/euph. Snare a bit over balanced to brass. Incredibly tight performance both rhythmically and dynamically.

Warragul Municipal (Vic)

March: Pendine - R Martyn
Controlled euph counter melody singing nicely. Fantastic Glockenspiel throughout. Good dynamic range displayed. Very steady pace and reliable offbeats. Some good work from Bass trombone but could balance more. Bass drum too soft.

Own Choice: A Malvern Suite - Phillip Sparke
Steady pace with clear tones to open. Nice smooth soft playing. Intonation issues between trombones and bari/euphs. Good cornet and basses unison work. Nice change of pulse in cornets. Trombone solo had nice style. Intonation problems in solo by solo cornet, but some good effects. Good use of rubato. Warm sound with good intonation in euph/bari. Melody not always allowing for descending runs to fit. Full sound and phrasing for unison passages. Good projection from solo cornet. Good transition to fast tempo and pauses. Excellent bass bone solo! Good rhythmic security in syncopated section. Intonation in higher register of flugel and cornets not matching. Nice broad ending with good uses of silence.

Royal Hifofua Tongan Brass (NSW)

Own Choice: Seven Wonders - Dwayne Bloomfield
Very grand start. Good intonation in loud playing. Nice transition to faster tempo. Clean euph solo. Timpani not balancing band in loud dynamics. Solid work from tom toms. Very effective wind sounds. Very tight between shock notes and rests. Beautiful, plaintive eupho. Cornet solo did not follow through as well. Trombone tutti solo balanced well, but a small amount of glissing present. Higher cornet register has a few intonation problems. Nice metallic effects. Clean solo cornet solo. Bari/euph intonation problems in fanfare. Nice style tenor horn solo, but a few slips. Nice full sound lower end. Very warm tuba melody. Good prolonged crescendo. Quavers well together at end. A slightly understated ending after some powerful work.

March: Castell Coch - T J Powell
Semiquavers a bit lost in huge chordal sounds. Louder dynamics a little overblown for a march. A little more dynamic variety needed than just the softer sections - snare not always get down to the softer dynamic. Lower end melody well balanced. Clear fanfare at opening of Trio. Much better balancing of cornets during obligato sections. Effective silences in melody and percussion.

Advent Brass (Vic)

Own Choice: Inspiration - Jan de Haan
Very atmospheric opening with beautiful phrasing from horns. Solid percussion. Good buildup with steady crescendo. Excellent intonation in large chords. Effective muted cornet ostinatos. Xylophone a little over balanced. Nice tempo change. Great compound time interjections. Some nice solid playing from soprano throughout. Good dynamic effects. Some minor intonation issues in horn section. Beautiful intervals and singing style from Euph. Very lyrical soprano solo and working with euph. Strong trombone solo fanfare. Good balance between melody and muted cornet section fanfare, though not always together. Precise and regal cornet solo. Sudden style change very effective. Tuba cut off a little late from solid last chord.
Overall, smooth navigation of melodies with large leaps and some wonderful effects.

March: The President - William German
Some good articulation from horns, but a few intonation problems in their chords. Great dynamic variation. Great runs in tuba section. Snare not quite with brass. Solid quiet cornet obligatos but tuning issues on some notes. Very rhythmic and clean ending.

Marion City (SA)

Own Choice: Hollywood - Goff Richards
Dynamically very safe opening. Some confusion about fast tempo but it settled down. Very good balance between all parts. Good capturing of the "show tune" style. Solid Flugel solo, a good change in style. Intonation in trombone chordal work. Good unison band playing. Percussion and Brass not always together. Solo cornets not always exactly in tune. Good interplay between soloists. Bass not entirely secure. Changes in tempo took some time to settle. Beautifuly lyrical cornet solo. Good unison scales. Well timed bass drum. Very nice last section leading in to finish. Great last chord.

March: Our Director - F E Bigalow
Good cornet fanfare opening. Tempo slightly under. Nice change to lesser dynamic, but snare didn't quite follow enough. Good balance from Brass. Bass semiquavers come out nicely. Rather lackluster all up. Dynamics were well controlled at a level that the band could handle without blasting.

Geelong West Brass (Vic)

March: Taskforce - Joe Cook
Excellent cornet articulation from outset. Strong bass line. Excellently controlled loud playing. Rhythmically precise. Excellent change of mood at trio. Soprano very secure above band. Dynamically exciting. Exceptionally tight playing.

Own Choice: Journey into Freedom - Eric Ball
Technically very secure opening. Horn triplets come through clearly. Such good dynamic contrast. Trombones not strong enough. Excellent blending of solo lines. Changes of tempo very secure. Basses tend to muffle runs. Gets too loud on occasions. Good sop. Nice singing Euph and Bass lines. Brass and percussion not exactly together. Very nice transition into slow section. Cornet, beautiful sound but some missed notes. Eb bass, very nice sound in all registers, though missed all the stops in the solo. Tuning and pitching in cornets. Excellent intonation and sound from solo basses. Ascending figure moved seamlessly through whole band. Joyous ending. A performance beyond C grade.

St Marys Band Club Brass (NSW)

Own Choice: Music for a Festival - Philip Sparke
Good start. Very nice work in cornets. Strong basses. Good dynamic variation. Nice trombone melody. Well echoed in cornets. Solid syncopation. Good interplay between Bari/Euph and Cornets. Crescendos well graded across entire band. Excellent singing euph. Minor intonation problems in horns. Messy end from basses. Nice quartet. Excellent shaping of phrases. Well balanced chords. Clean cornets at beginning to third movement. Syncopation in accompanying figures well handled. Horn melody slightly under the rest of the band. Rhythmically unison figures very together. Trombone technically very sound. Snare drum too powerful. Trombones too loud and go out of tune at end. Exciting performance.

March: Castell Coch - T J Powell
Good strong introduction. Nice dynamic change at melody entry. Good highlighting of broken chords/bell tones. Good cornet unison parts. Lower end a bit muddy in tone during unison parts - a nice warm sound used but could be articulated a little stronger. Good balance in trio between melody and counter melody. Some minor intonation issues between solo cornets. Solid ending.

City of Ballarat Municipal Brass (Vic)

March: Appreciation - T J Powell
Very tight start. Dynamic variation at start of melody - open cornet sound. Clear semiquavers in lower end melody. Warm euph/bari meldoy in trio. Whole band could be a little softer. Good balance between brass and percussion. Good interplay between euphs and cornets. On the whole, fairly loud.

Own Choice: American Civil War Fantasy - Jerry Bilik arr. W Himes
Smooth start in bari/euph. Intonation between muted cornets questionable. Singing soprano sound. Calm, light march style executed well, but could be softer. Bass trombone needed to balance as the sole bass instrument. Good meter changes. Technically good runs in euphs with some burring on sound. Good dynamic variation during different sections. Beautiful euph melody really singing - struggling with intonation of one particular note. Good transition back to march style. Well executed Bb tuba solo. Strong intended dissonances not apologised for. Tenor horn intonation in high register has some minor issues. Some very warm tones produced in hymn-like sections. Some very solid chords that could have made a little more room for the moving parts. A thoughtful performance.

Overall:
Marches were, in general, too loud. There was the odd band who kept the dynamics under control but the overwhelming desire seemed to be to attain huge sound by blasting through the piece. The own choices chosen really reflected each bands' strengths.The performances of St Mary's and Advent Brass stepped up a notch today.

Predictions:
March:
Geelong
Toronto
Marist Brothers

Own choice:
Geelong
Toronto
Marist Brothers