2007 New South Wales Brass Band Championships

Retrospective: B Grade

26 August 2007
Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre
Adjudicator: Doug Trottman OAM

Sutherland claimed the B Grade championship in convincing fashion

It was a real pleasure to listen to the B grade bands on Sunday evening at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith.  The grade is in something of a transition phase with newcomers Gosford and Parramatta finding their feet looking to challenge long timers Sutherland and Hall Village.  As both Hall and Sutherland emerge from a rebuilding phase with new musical directors, will they be able to dominate B grade to a point where they will get the tap on the shoulder to match themselves up against the best in the state?  The venue again proved to be unkind to trombone players with listeners having to work hard to hear unison trombone pedal notes at high volume in the test piece.  Every band brought something to the table and was keen to participate in the state championships as a testament to their band’s hard work and perseverance.

Hall Village
Conductor: Aaron Madden

Great to see the affable and very talented Greg Stenning acting in a mentoring role at bumper up with Hall Village.  He supported and encouraged the band’s superb young principal cornet player throughout their entire performance this evening.  The band showed off their compact, clean sound coupled with good balance in their sacred item, I Know Thou Art Mine,  with a nice flugal and tenor horn combination.  Some intonation problems marred the good work of the band, as did slightly over the top rubato which interrupted the flow of the piece.  Overall a well crafted performance that placed the band in a commanding position.

The test began energetically, if slightly frantically, but settled down to a more controlled approach that carried through the whole piece.  Good effects in the cornets, but the ensemble between back and front row was untidy in places.  The linking sections between variations were a little clunky yet the band made a good attempt at capturing the moods of the variations.  They were agreed on the style they were aiming for and made a commendable effort to achieve this.  Some tentative playing in the tuba and euphonium semiquaver passages detracted from the authority of the upper voices at times.  Principal cornet played with confidence and style throughout.  A good reading by the MD who was always in control and gave clear and concise directions.

Hall Village

The introduction to their own choice, Dances & Arias, promised great things.  The intensity and authority of the cornets was excellent and although the euphoniums and baritones didn’t quite match them in this regard, the whole band strutted their clean and compact sound within the first moments of the piece.  A few blips and blobs here and there did not upset some good effects, but a loss of concentration lead to some suspect intonation which distracted from an otherwise controlled ensemble.  The Arias could have benefited from being a little more relaxed, making the contrast between them and the dances more pronounced.  As it was, they were a little too rigid and the Arias seemed to be walking around in clothes that were too tight.  Cadenzas were generally well done, particularly the euphonium player who stood out for us tonight. Some tired players found the long notes under the cadenzas a little too hard to sustain.  As the piece neared its climatic end the tuba section seemed to be left behind as the volume of the band increased without them.  The intensity of direction the band displayed at the beginning did not carry through to the intensity of volume required at the end of the piece, but overall the band played very well and were worthy of second place.

Parramatta City Band
Conductor: Jonathan Gatt

The sacred item, I Know Thou Art Mine, had a great warmth of sound driven by a lovely tuba section.  A few nerves showed themselves in fluctuating tempo but lovely interweaving lines flowed well throughout the band.  The glockenspiel player was a little over-zealous in the sacred item, but the piece was well shaped by the MD and finished nicely.

The test started with purpose and deliberation with some good euphonium work.  The spirit and enthusiasm of the band was high and the band really went for the style of each variation.  Good to see Michael Forsyth enjoying himself on euphonium here.  Variations of note length and articulation between players and sections created some confusion about style and the band became unstuck at times but recovered well.  The Hoedown and Bolero variations in particular lacked the features of their respective dances and the band seemed to run out of puff towards the end of the piece.  The timpanist was excellent and received special mention from the composer for the way he moved when he played.  Overall a great attempt.

The band played Connotations for their own choice.  After the hurdles of fourths in the introduction (some of which were knocked over spectacularly!), the band settled into the beautiful theme played simply and without fuss by the middle section of the band lead by euphoniums.  At the end of a long day, the solo cornet struggled a little with the slow solo but delivered a no-nonsense job.  Band accompaniment was generally secure but this piece has a lot of individual playing with nowhere to hide.  The cadenzas seemed a little metronomic and measured for our taste, but they were performed perfunctorily over the top of long notes that some were finding a little too difficult to sustain.  The performance ended enthusiastically with a good trombone section blazing out the theme and a fine tuba section stepping out the bass line.  The timpanist was absolutely superb throughout the entire piece and added a touch of class to the performance.  His playing at the end in particular was authoritative and commanding.  It was clear that the MD and band really enjoyed this piece of music.  Perhaps an adventurous choice as it drew attention to some of the band’s weaknesses but they were happy to be stretched and extended by a piece they enjoyed playing.  A good showing for their second year in B grade.

Sutherland Shire Brass
Conductor: Warwick Tyrell

Sutherland performed the test first with plenty of energy and enthusiasm.  Their cornet section was excellent and brought out the special effects and detail with vigour and excitement.  Adam Malone was first-rate on soprano.  The cornet section set the agenda for this band’s sound which was bright and tended towards trumpet playing.  This gave the band plenty of gunpowder and the fireworks were spectacular but sometimes the middle of the band was lost beneath this display of power and the tubas and trombones played with more edge to match the brilliance of the cornets.  The flugal and solo tenor horn combination is one of the best in the state and the style and elegance of the combination was on display throughout the piece.  Great solo and combination work from both of them.  What set Sutherland apart was the style that oozed from every variation and the smoothness of transition between them.  The Hoedown variation had our toes tapping, the Bolero variation conjured up images of Bo Derek running across the beach in a white swimsuit, and trombones blazed triumphantly at the right moments.  Overall, a stand out musical performance that oozed style.

Sutherland Shire’s sacred item, You Know That We Love You by Howard Davies, may be one of the most talked about events of the entire championship.  The band re-organised themselves on stage into a choir around a brass quintet.  Still holding their instruments, they played the first part of their sacred item after which they sang for the remainder of the performance accompanied by the quintet.  It was simply beautiful and very moving.  They had been well trained, their intonation, balance and blend was excellent, and the warmth of the sound was magnificent.  In his comments, the adjudicator told the audience that this performance moved him to tears.  For a man who had been quite dismissive of all sacred items over the whole weekend, it was this simple arrangement and performance of a Salvation Army hymn that won him over.  Accordingly the mark he gave it was very high, just a half mark away from full marks.  (“nobody’s perfect” he was overheard saying later).  His written comments included the statements, “you are very brave, but very committed . . . a very moving performance.”  It will be interesting to see whether or not other bands try this in future.

Sutherland continued their excellence with their own choice Prisms by Peter Graham.  This was an excellent choice for the band as it showed off their strengths and it was obvious they enjoyed playing the piece, making their test seem almost emotionally detached by comparison.  The flugal and solo tenor horn combination featured heavily in this piece and both players were again superb in solo and ensemble work.  Good work from all soloists and the lyrical nature of this piece suited the sopranist who was superb.  The second euphonium player’s darker sound suited the challenging cadenza which was very well played.  Some tiredness began to creep into the long notes underneath the cadenzas but the piece finished with great energy and conviction.  Very stylish interpretation by the MD who successfully realised the textural intricacies of this piece as well as its changing moods and style.  This performance would not have been out of place on Saturday afternoon.  Should they continue in this fashion Sutherland will be knocking on A grade’s door after next years championships.

Gosford City Brass
Conductor: Mark Downy

Gosford’s first appearance in B grade was creditable although they seemed a little unsure of their ability to succeed.  They certainly have the players to perform well within this grade and we hope that it is only a matter of time that sees them achieve their potential.  The hymn Lux Eoi started well with some valiant attempts at lower dynamics and broader dynamic variations.  Some strange phrasing lead this listener to wonder whether or not they knew the words to the hymn they were playing.  A nice ensemble blend is just within reach of the band if some individuals can restrain themselves from wanting to be heard above the rest of the band.

The test piece stretched this band to its limits and they responded admirably by having a go.  The flugal player was a stand out with some classy playing and other soloists did quite well but some shaky accompaniment detracted from their efforts.  Too many wrong notes was perhaps an indication that this band had not spent as much time on this piece as required to present it at a competitive standard.

The own choice Partita was a good choice for this band.  The introduction was played with conviction and some effective dynamic changes caught the attention of the audience. The Shaker song was joyful and dance-like and the euphonium player’s solo was good.  Unfortunately, tiredness lead to some tentative playing and suspect intonation which let the band down a little.  We’re looking forward to Gosford’s return next year with a little more self-belief and a resolution to not let tiredness and poor concentration get the better of them.

Results

1. Sutherland
2. Hall Village
3. Parramatta
4. Gosford

In his acceptance speech, Sutherland’s MD Warwick Tyrell thanked all the bands for their involvement in the grade and commented that the quality of the competition had improved since last year.  He thanked Sutherland for their commitment to being a friendly band who enjoyed working with each other.

Bruce Myers

(Due to the afternoon running well behind schedule, 4BRDU were unable to photograph all of the bands.  We apologise for this.)