Winner: So Spoke Albion... (Tredegar Band — European Championship)
2. The World Rejoicing (Brighouse & Rastrick — British Open)
3. A Gabrielli Fantasy (Valaisia — European Championship)
When it comes to contests there is only one opinion that counts when it comes to handing out the titles of course, but the subjective nature of music making always ensures that there are countless opinions about which performances made the greatest impression.
And on this occasion it was Tredegar's electrifying account of Gavin Higgins' 'So Spoke Albion...' as their own-choice selection at the European Championships that 7 of our panel (as well as 7 other preference nominations) felt worthy of the 4BR accolade. It really was a wow moment.
So too though Brighouse & Rastrick's performance (4 first choice preferences and 9 other) of 'The World Rejoicing' that saw them finally end their 44 year wait to reclaim the British Open title, whilst Valaisia's European own-choice selection of 'A Gabrielli Fantasy' in Birmingham was also a favourite of 2 panel judges and got 5 other nominations).
Other first choice preferences went to Brighouse & Rastrick at Brass in Concert, Foden's at the National Championship and again at the European Championship ('Eden') and Cory at the European on the set-work, 'Saints Triumphant'.
These performances dominated the choices, but the judges also noted Black Dyke's 'Contest Music' at the Yorkshire Regional Championship,
Panel:
The Awards Panel consisted of:
Iwan Fox (editor 4BR); Michael Bach (conductor/adjudicator); Kerry Baldwin (player/regional development executive ABRSM); Sarah Groarke Booth (conductor/adjudicator); Anne Crookston (conductor/adjudicator); David Gallaher (conductor/adjudicator); David Hirst (player/conductor/adjudicator); Owen Melhuish (New Zealand BBA); Tim Mutum (writer/brass band recording and history specialist); Gordon Simpson (statistician Brass Band World magazine); Stein Skorpholm (Norwegian broadcaster/presenter); Chris Thomas (chief contributor BBW magazine/4BR contributor); Camilla Soderstrom Tveit (player/adjudicator); Luc Vertommen (conductor/adjudicator/arranger); Andrew Wainwright (composer/arranger/designer); Malcolm Wood (4BR chief contributor); Alexander Zwann (chief contributor CU Brass).
Past Winners:
2021: Foden's — Heroes (National Championship of Great Britain)
2020: Manger Musikklag — Midnight's Butterflies (Norwegian National Championship)
2019: Cory — Titan's Progress (National Championship of Great Britain)
2018: Manger Musikklag (Siddis Entertainment Championship)
2017: Eikanger Bjorsvik — Fraternity (European Championship)
2016: Cory — The Triumph of Time (British Open Championship)
2015: Cory — Spiriti (National Championship of Great Britain)
2014: Brass Band Bugermusik Luzern — Trance (Swiss National Championship)
2013: Tredegar — Arabian Nights: Fantasy on Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade for Brass Band (British Open Championship)
2012: Foden's — Daphnis et Chloe (National Championship of Great Britain)
2011: Cory — Red Priest (British Open Championship)
2010: Fairey (Geneva) — Eden (English National Championship)
2009: Fountain City Brass Band — Dreams (Scottish Open Championship)
2008: Eikanger Bjorsvik — Riffs & Interludes (Norwegian Championship)
2007: Brass Band Oberosterreich — Titan's Progress (European Championship)
2006: Black Dyke — Vienna Nights (British Open Championship)
2005: Black Dyke — Journey to the Centre of the Earth (European Championship)
2004: Black Dyke — Montage (British Open Championship)
2003: Buy As You View Cory — Revelation (European Championship)
2002: Yorkshire Building Society — Concerto Grosso (European Championship)
2001: Foden's — Les Preludes (British Open Championship)
