2007 New Zealand Brass Band Championships - The Test Selections

An excellent line-up of test music throughout all grades will be heard this year

A Grade

Concerto 1 for Brass Band by Derek Bourgeois

Not heard very often around the circuit these days, Concerto 1 for Brass Band first made its appearance as the Test Selection for the UK Nationals in 1999.

Essentially a transcription of a piano work, this complex piece evokes a wide range of emotions and opinions - with a real feeling of black satire being very prominent.

Adrian Head reviews the work for 4BRDU:

This work, written in 1999 for the British National Brass Band Championships, is an adaptation of the composers, "Sonata", for two pianos, which was originally conceived in 1972.  The concerto is in the standard concerto format of three movements- the outer two being faster paced in contrast to the inner, slow, movement. The instrumentation is a little unusual, with there being four 'Solo Cornet' parts and four '2nd Cornet' parts, and no repiano or third present. Also, the score stipulates only two percussion parts, which is a little unusual given that there are usually three or four players in a section.

There's a considerable work load for all of the solo seats - the usual high amount of responsibilities for the solo cornet and euphonium (with some interesting low four-valve and pedal sections for both euphonium players).  The soprano cornet has some very tricky important material, along with the solo horn, the first baritone (also with some pedal register work for both baritones), and some heavy demands also on the flugel. Of particular note are the considerable demands on the back row cornets.  On this last point alone I think we'll be able to discern which bands are up to the demands of this work.

Bourgeois explains, in the preface note included in the score, that the first movement, "Le Tombeau d'Arthur Benjamin", was titled due to that composers' composition, "Le Tombeau de Ravel", which itself was inspired by Ravel's well known work, "Le Tombeau de Couperin". There is a reference to Benjamin's, "Jamaican Rhumba", at the end of the work (about four bars before figure twenty-two) in the basses and euphoniums, as well as a reference to a Spanish folk song called, "Loro, enciende el hervidor de agua", which is quoted at the same time- just before things slow down at the end of this movement.

The second movement, "Mr Bolt goes for a ride in his motor car and Monsieur Ravel turns in his grave", refers to a friend of the composer, who loved Ravel's music, but who apparently displayed a certain amount of impatience whilst driving- hence the 'rage' of the middle section of this work. The similarity, at figure twenty-five (about a minute into the piece, and coincidently the euphonium's first entry), to the very end of the first section of Ravel's, "Daphnis and Chloe", is quite striking, but there are also moments of Bartok, and even Berg, to be discerned through this wonderfully engaging movement.

The last movement, "The War March of the Ostriches", was influenced by the music of Charles Ives, of whom Bourgeois was fascinated by whilst writing this movement.  The title was inspired by a visit to the Bristol Zoo, and the "…amusing antics of a group of ostriches".

'Vision', and 'control', are the two words that leap to the mind of this reviewer, when considering a performance of this work in a competition. This isn't a very straightforward work to listen to or perform, with Bourgeois in very burlesque form throughout the entire three movements (one person made the suggestion that Bourgeois may have had some external stimulation when writing this one. I hope he had enough to go around!). He achieves this through the (occasionally unusual) technical demands that he puts on the players, the choice of material, and the rhythmic challenges that he poses. This is, however, a very rewarding work to listen to (I'll let the performers make their own decisions about the rewards of playing this work), and certainly one that will give us a very clear indication of who will be the winning band on the day.

Time and time again, Bourgeois makes us believe that the path that he is leading us up is going to be a straight one, but when we get comfortable enough to trust him we find ourselves completely surprised by where he leads us. For example, the crazy march at figure forty six (about two minutes into the third movement if you have a recording of the work) jumps to a soft, warm, legato sweep- within about eight bars! After listening to this work several times it still manages to take this listener by some surprise.

Hopefully it will only be those in the audience that will be taken by surprise, as it will take the musical directors to be very thorough in their preparation of this piece, and to have a very clear vision of what Bourgeois is trying to achieve. All movements of this work- particularly the second and third- do have moments where the band will need to bring out the dramatic changes very quickly and with great conviction.  If a band is hoping to depend on sheer gusto and blast, particularly in the first and third movements, then they are going to be disappointed. The majority of the forte tutti sections throughout all of the movements are not as straightforward as many players would like them to be. Many of these full sections require considerable forethought, due to the numerous independent lines that co-exist simultaneously, and the homogenous writing that is usually implied in these louder sections is not present. It will be the bands that resist the urge to blast, and to focus instead on balance and rhythmic clarity, that will be seated further up in the rankings.

The central movement, and the sensitive and delicate treatment needed to realise it, will also be an important indicator as to where a band will be ranked on the day.  There are so many delicate moments in this movement, and considerations of balance and clarity will be essential in achieving a convincing performance of it. Also, there are moments where some independent lines do not compliment the sweep and flow of the passage they are in, (such as the flugel, soprano and baritone lines in figure twenty-six, or the pairs of second cornets- on pair trilling whilst the other flutter tongue- at figure twenty-seven), and to make these players play 'against' the rest of the texture will take some preparation (and persuasion!). Contrasting this with the violence of the middle section of the work will take some thinking as well.

Bourgeois uses cross rhythms extensively in all of the movements, but it is particularly within the faster paced first and third movements that the bands will have to stay on their toes.  Just from an examination of the score alone is it possible to appreciate the potential for trouble if someone gets out just a little, which will not only damage an ensemble's rhythmic sense, but will also begin to cloud the transparency of the band's sound.

Therefore, having a clear vision of this piece is so important due to the absence of anything straightforward about it, and it will take for those playing it to remain committed to that vision on the day.  I unfortunately won't be there to enjoy the variety of performances that will be on show at the New Zealand Nationals, but I hope that the original nature of this work will be something that will be discerned by both those performing, and watching, on the day.

Adrian Head

B Grade

Salamander by John McCabe

If one were to seek the literal, modern scientific definition of Salamander, they would perhaps arrive at the small lizard-like creature that inhabits most aquatic environments in the Northern Hemisphere. Dig a little further, and you're likely to discover a whole myriad of alternative descriptions and definitions, ranging from a German shoe manufacturer, to a popular Japanese video game, even a 19th Century Austro-Hungarian battleship once proudly sailed as 'Salamander'.
 
The Salamander which John McCabe alludes to in his composition of 1994 is of course none of the above, rather it is the Alchemical definition of a Salamander as the elemental inhabitor of fire. McCabe writes, "According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, a Salamander was, in ancient times 'a mythical lizard-like monster that was supposed to be able to live in fire, which, however, is quenched by the chill of its body… [The name] was adopted by Paracelsus as the name of the elemental being inhabiting fire (Gnomes being those of earth, Sylphs of the air, and Undines of the water)' It is the latter definition that was the inspiration for this piece"
 
The music itself is presented in the form of a passacaglia (variations on a ground bass). In the opening, the ground bass tune is presented in both rising and descending motifs, with a series of chords anchoring the tune heard at the top. We are then treated to a series of contrasting variations, with detailed work for soloists and ensemble alike, before the piece culminates in "a vigorous fugal section". Here we are presented with a variated statement of the main theme, before the work turns full circle, and ends with one final, blazing statement of the original chorded theme, as heard in the opening bars.
 
Perhaps appropriately then, this is music concerned with, and inspired by the element of fire. Although no longer occupying a position amongst the most challenging pieces in the repertoire,  Salamander contains musical challenges which can only be reconciled by very good players. Indeed, one suspects that the average B Grade band could come away more than a little charred after a performance of McCabe's work - a prime example of music never to be underestimated on the basis of age or depth of musical construction.
 
Ben Crocker