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The 4BarsRest Awards 2001 - The results...
All the votes are now in, and what a response! The 3318 entries
for the seven categories has sent our e-mail into melt down, but
we’ve managed to retrieve all the suggestions and have spent literally
hours with an abacus, pen and paper to add them up.
Thanks for taking the time to contact us and we hope these awards
will be well received and thought of as worthwhile. Nearly all of
you didn’t quite agree with our choices, and there were a few odd
(but perfectly justifiable) nominations in some of the categories.
Still, you don’t wish to hear anymore from us and so we’ll ask
our glamorous and scantily clothed assistant to hand over the golden
envelope that contains the winners. Here goes…..
Our seven categories were:
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Band of the Year:
And the winner is: Yorkshire Building Society
It was a close run thing, but YBS took the most votes (39%) from
you in recognition we believe for a year of achievement that included
the victories at the British Open and the European Championships,
their runners up spots at the All England Masters, Regional Championships
and third place at the National Finals. They remain at the top of
the 4BR World Rankings and
have had a superb year of contesting achievement.
A close second (and it was close) were Black Dyke (36%)
, whilst third spot went to Eikanger Bjorsvik Musikklag (15%).
Other nominations (10%) came in the form of Fodens, Brighouse and
Rastrick, Williams Fairey, JAG Mount Charles and Grimethorpe. There
were others but these bands made up the majority of the votes.
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Contest Performance of the Year
The winner is: Fodens at the British Open Championships on Les
Preludes.
The absolute runaway winners in the category (57%).
Given that they came 7th it still remains the most talked about
performance of the year. Full of drama, musicianship and brilliant
musicality it nevertheless also had moments of tuning unease and
individual errors. It was however a performance that remained long
in the memory banks and one that drew its inspiration from the sheer
class of the reading by Bramwell Tovey.
Runners up were Black Dyke (32%) and their performance of
Albion whilst third spot went to Brighouse and Rastrick (9%)
and their winning performance of Pageantry at the All England Masters.
Others (2%) who got a creditable mention were YBS at the Masters,
BAYV Cory at the European, Eikanger at the Norwegian Nationals and
YBS again at the European Own Choice.
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Lower Section Band of the Year
A real close run thing this one, but the winners by a neck were...
Peter Hawke Garages Lindley (34%) under the direction of
Neil Jowett.
Plenty of votes for a variety of bands here (including several
persons who voting between them submitted over 100 times! - they
weren't counted), but the winners of the Pontins title and the Senior
Cup came ahead of a field that saw Shirland Welfare Training
(31%) in second place – just a short neck behind and Pennine
Brass (24%)who were a further length back.
Peter Hawke Garages Lindley gave two very fine winning performances
this year and won twice in some high quality fields, whilst on the
every occasion they performed they displayed the characteristics
of a balanced well rounded sound that should serve them well next
year.
Other notable nominations (11%) came for City of Bristol, ASDA
Stocksbridge, Lancashire Life Morcambe, Beaumaris, Ammanford, Towcester
Studio, Kibworth and Carlton Brass.
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CD of the Year
The clear winner in this important category was… Butterworth
– The Music of Arthur Butterworth (41%). Black Dyke Band
conducted by Nicholas Childs. Doyen Recordings CD 130.
This excellent CD of the music of a hidden genius of a brass band
composer was one of the most welcome releases during a year of fine
recordings. A long overdue re-appraisal, superbly performed by the
National Champions.
Runner up was “Purcell
Variations” (31%)– the music of Kenneth Downie by Brighouse
and Rastrick, on the Egon label whilst third spot went to “Highlights
of the European Brass Band Championships 2001” (16%) on
the Doyen label.
Plenty of votes for all sorts of releases (12%) including “The
Undaunted – Eric Ball” by Grimethorpe, “Flash” by Sandstorm Brass,
“Summon the Heroes” by the Kirkintilloch Band, “Glory, Glory” by
the ISB, “Frankly Speaking” by Travelsphere, “Blazing Brass” by
NYSB and Patrick Sheridan.
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Test Piece of the Year
The one area in which just about everyone agreed with our choices!
The clear winner was: ”Albion” by Jan Van der Roost. (55%)
The National Finals set test was a superb choice, and a brave one
for that matter. It was challenging for players, conductor and audience
alike and created as much debate as any test piece in recent years.
The choreography apart, the music was dramatic and skilfully constructed
and it asked both technical and musical questions of the main and
minor players around the stand as well as asking the conductors
an awful lot of questions of their understanding of contemporary
brass writing. A fine piece that has now been performed with success
all over Europe.
Second place went to “Les Preludes”(23%) – the masterly
transcription by Bram Gay, whilst a very close third went to Malcolm
Arnold’s “Attleborough Suite” (11%) – the inspired choice
for the Fourth Section National Finals.
Other that were nominated (11%) were “JAZZ” by Philip Wilby – used
for the top section Regionals, “Montreux Wind Dances” used at the
European, “Diadem of Gold” used at Pontins, “Fantasy for Brass Band”
used at the First Section National Finals and “Isaiah 40” used at
the Mineworkers.
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Player of the Year:
A bit like counting the Labour votes in the General Election in
Wales here – we were weighing them by the tonne for the winner...
Peter Roberts (68%) of the Yorkshire Building Society Band.
We couldn’t quite believe the response – no other player (and there
were a fair few good ‘uns in our selection) came close to the genius
of the soprano.
Not only does he continue to lead the field by a considerable margin
on his chosen instrument, but he does so in such a manner that you
can only wonder how on earth he does it. A superlative player who
should possibly have won the soloist award at the British Open and
who’s concert performance at the European Championship weekend sent
the audience home with wet knickers. The man is bloody phenomenal.
In no way disgraced in coming second was Nick Hudson (14%),
the superb trombonist of Williams Fairey and third went to Roger
Webster (11%) at Black Dyke.
Others (7%) who got a well merited mention were David Thornton
of Black Dyke, David Childs of CWS Glasgow, Richard Marshall of
Grimethorpe, Michelle Ibbotson of Black Dyke and Glyn Williams of
Fodens.
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Conductor of the Year:
The closest category of them all in terms of the minute difference
between the votes cast for the eventual winner and the runner up.
It wasn’t until literally the last hour of the final day that we
could see who the winner was, and it is… David King (34%)
of the Yorkshire Building Society Band.
Second place went to Bramwell Tovey (33%) of Fodens, who
was just a handful of votes behind and in many ways it would have
been fairer if it were a tie, but David King is the deserved winner
in a year that he put his, and his bands reputation on the line
no less than five times and came out winners twice, runners up twice
and third once. That is a record any conductor can be proud of,
but one we know Mr King feels could and should have been so much
better.
His performances were marked by an innate sense of style and musicality
that at times was different and challenging, but he remains the
most exciting and naturally talented MD on the scene. His desire
and commitment to success and excellence remain undiminished, his
appetite not yet sated. He is a well-merited winner of our premier
award.
Bramwell Tovey could have on any other occasion won by a country
mile, for his interpretations at both the Open and Nationals were
something the banding world has rarely if ever heard, and his possible
loss to the banding scene should provoke a national outcry. His
is a talent we cannot afford to lose.
Third place went to Nicholas Childs (24%) at Black Dyke,
whilst there were many a nominations (9%) for Allan Withington,
Garry Cutt, Howard Snell, Peter Parkes, Frank Renton, Robert Childs,
Bryan Hurdley, Frans Violet, Marie Smith, Adelle Sellers and Chris
Wormald.
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Special 4BarsRest Award
Finally the award to Alan Jenkins of the Brass Band World
Magazine for his continued excellent contribution to the movement.
Please check out what we have already said about this fine journalist
in our nominations article. All we can add here is that he is a
most deserved winner, a lovely man, a fine writer and critic and
trenchant supporter of all things right and proper in the world.
And very finally - we have to thank my mam and dad (stop right
there!- it’s not the bloody Oscars!)
Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote. We’ll be making
sure that everyone of the winners will get a proper certificate
from 4BR so that they can put up above the telly and next year we
may even splash out on a proper awards ceremony!
© 4BarsRest
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