Highlights of the 2009 European Brass Band Championships

The 2009 European belonged to Cory - although there were a number of other highlights from the seafront Kursaal.

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Various bands, ensembles and conductors
Doyen Recordings: CD260
Total Playing Time: 2:25:09

The 2009 European Brass Band Championship belonged to the Cory Band.

The reigning champion came to the surprisingly interesting Belgian port town of Ostend and stamped their class on the contest in a manner that left no-one in any doubt that they deserved to return to Wales with the famous Christopher Milton Steven’s designed trophy once more in their grasp.

Musical memory

This CD is a rather long musical memory box of some of the highlights of an enjoyable weekend at the excellent Kursaal Theatre bang on the waterfront – one of the best auditoriums the contest has been held at during its 32 year history - but it manages to capture all the really important moments that mattered.

Those include the two winning performances in the set work and own choice disciplines from Cory themselves – a quite brilliant rendition of Jan Van Der Roost’s ‘From Ancient Times’, which set them on their way on the Friday night, and a scorching rendition of ‘Standing on the Shoulder’s of Giants’ by Peter Graham.

Brave choice

The latter was a brave choice in so much that its inspiration came not particularly from the wording on the side of a UK £2 coin, but more to the fact that it musical axis was centred very much on the opposite side of the Atlantic – and the music and musicians of Chicago, New York and even Hollywood.

The jury remains out on the piece itself – a rather concocted mix of styles (the ‘homage’ to Miles Davis through the use of the flugel horn in the middle section surely a faux pas) but it was thrillingly effective (especially the finale), although the ‘Checkmate’ finish remains a ‘steal’ Fagin would have been proud of.

Cheese making

Talking of which, Hermann Pallhuber’s ‘Spirits of Puccini’ is up there with there in the Robert Maxwell class – a quite brilliantly pinched bit of inventive cheese making that brought the house down on the Saturday and which featured soprano cornet playing the like of which left you stunned. The judges weren’t as impressed though.

They were impressed however by local favourites Festival Brass with a cracking rendition of ‘The Promised Land’, that featured some outstanding euphonium playing from Glen Van Looy.

Europa League

In the Europa League that is the B Section Bert Appermont’s ‘Catedrales’ proved to be an interesting work for the bands, with 3BA-Brass from Germany showing that a new emerging banding nation could well be developing fast in the heart of Europe.  

With the hard work out of the way, Cory’s Gala Concert performance was that of a band that deep down knew they were champions again – a relaxed mixture of lollipops played with a sheen of professionalism that saw the packed auditorium demand an encore or three.

Period piece

That concert also featured a rather neat bit of period quartet playing from Belgian Brass, whilst the Farewell Concert featured Brass Band Willebroek on fine form aided by the European Youth Brass Band.

At very nearly two and half hours long, the CD provides plenty of value for your Euro, even if the sleeve notes and pictures are rather sloppily put together and are a disappointing accompaniment to Richard Scott’s excellent sound engineering work in what was a tricky acoustic.

For Cory however, the memories will live in their minds for a very long time.

Iwan Fox

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