2007 Melbourne International Festival of Brass

Retrospective

Simply the Best!

When the bar closed and the crowd went home after the Finale concert of the Melbourne International Festival of Brass, the stars and the organizers adjourned to a restaurant in the atrium outside The Edge auditorium.

Suddenly Wycliffe Gordon had his trombone out, Thomas Gansch and his Mnozil friends joined in and an impromptu jazz session was underway. No huge audience, no big fees – just musicians enjoying music and each other’s company.

It summed up the week of joyous brass playing which many of us felt fortunate to have witnessed. The Melbourne Festival of Brass just gets better and better.

Certainly the quality of guests this year had much to do with it. Brass players have been astounded by Mnozil DVDs for a couple of years now and Wycliffe Gordon, a giant of a player in every sense, is world famous in his own right. Stephan Dohr, principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic, had a four day gap in his orchestral schedule and flew in to participate and David Childs, already in Australia to perform in Adelaide, was also invited to participate. Jens Bjørn-Larsen, professor of tuba at Hanover, Ralph Sauer, 30 year trombone principal from Los Angeles Symphony and James Thompson, professor of trumpet at the Eastman School rounded out the guest list.

Students across the country recognized the standing of the artistes and enrolled for a week of seminars and masterclasses in greater numbers than ever before. Recital attendances for both local players – Michael Bertoncello, Lin Jiang (in a final home town outing before departing for symphony work in Europe) Steve Rosse and Matthew van Emmerick were particularly impressive – and overseas visitors were well up on previous years and three main concerts, Wycliffe Gordon, Mnozil and the Finale sold out.

The Barry Tuckwell Brass Prize attracted 20 competitors on tuba and euphonium; 10 made the second round cut and five the final judging. The winner of the brand new tuba, on offer courtesy of Yamaha Australia, was a young, but fairly experienced bass player from Tokyo, Hidehiro Fujita.

Chris Bowman of Yamaha Australia with Barry Tuckwell Prize winner - Hidehiro Fujita

Of the overseas recitalists, the delightfully unassuming Dane, Jens Bjørn-Larsen, was perhaps the surprise packet. Not as extrovert as Ǿysten Baadsvik who visited from 2003 to 2005, Jens showed why he has nudged that Scandinavian into second place in more than one international competition. He displayed a beautiful tone and great musicality including wonderful phrasing supported by judicious circular breathing. His tongue in cheek Jealousy and Czardas were delightful and Gregson’s Concerto, which he played with Brisbane Excelsior Band, masterful despite the intrusive noise of Grand Final revellers in Federation Square outside.

Jens Bjørn-Larsen

But highlights came repeatedly like pyrotechnics over the Harbour Bridge – one sparkling display after another. David Childs played a potted history of the best Eupho repertoire in his recital – Jacobs, Horovitz and a Rossini transcription; a more modern work written for him by Rodney Newton and the lovely old Welsh ballad, Myfanwy. He finished with Hot Canary, the novelty solo associated with jazz violinist Stefan Grappelli, and saved his tour de force, the very demanding Fantasia on Rule Britannia (Peter Graham) for the band concert with XLCR. ‘Euphonium’ they tell me means ‘good sound’ and nobody makes it ‘sound gooder’ than Dave Childs!

David Childs

And Wycliffe Gordon plays the trombone – oh, my goodness, does he play the trombone! I’d read several reviews but to hear it is to believe it. He has every facet of playing – range, tone quality, rapidity of tongue and slide – to the nth degree and then adds his own techniques and personality. His instrument squeals and grunts; it croons and growls; he sticks in a pixie mute and chuckles and do-wops with a plunger. He accompanied himself while he sang standards in his jazz recital and brought his own composition, I Saw the Light, a tribute to Muhammad Ali, to the band concert. One movement, Contemplation, he played with supreme sweetness, the next, Me We, a call and response with the band, he swamped the ensemble with a magnificent display of power and resonance. The hair on the back of my neck is still standing!

Wycliffe Gordon

Brisbane XLCR, tentative in its early solo spots warmed to its task and, under the temporary leadership of Peter Luff, provided excellent accompaniments and showed their delight in partnering artistes of the calibre of Bjørn-Larsen, Childs and Gordon.

Brisbane Excelsior and MD, Peter Luff

The unique Mnozil, of course worked alone; they need no-one else.

Mnozil Brass

Their DVDs have been seen around the world but the live sound is awe-inspiring, the comedy endless and the singing remarkably good. I doubt Queen itself could do a better live Bohemian Rhapsody, they certainly couldn’t play the brass bits! You can only do what Mnozil do as long as you have seven virtuosos able to play wicked arrangements from memory whilst fooling around like Monty Python and the Stooges!   Deplorable dress sense seems obligatory too.

Jens Bjørn-Larsen, David Childs and Barry Tuckwell totally captivated with Mnozil Brass

But it all added up to another week of great fun, fantastic music and information for Australia’s brass community. It ended too soon even for the lingering guests who played on in the foyer café to a few surprised patrons.

Well done, MIFB – how will you top it next year?   

Merv Collins

Photos: Aaron Ford and Amanda Casagrande