Wantage Concert Brass will be looking to successfully scale the 'High Peak' qualification challenge at the First Section London & Southern Counties Regional Championships in Stevenage next month, after enjoying a base camp musical workshop from Dr Robert Childs.

The two hour visit saw him first introduce the players to the work through the words of the composer himself, before exploring both the technical as well as metaphorical aspects of the classic 1968 composition in detail.

Poetic framework

A spokesperson told 4BR: "It gave a poetic framework for the music that gave everyone a greater understanding of Eric Ball's intentions. It was an insight into the music that is not so readily understood nowadays, and it made the music come alive."

They added: "Our thanks go to Bob for making the journey to work with MD Simon Jones and the band — it was invaluable.

There were no secrets to his approach he said — and echoed Eric Ball by saying that you can't really go wrong if you do what's on the score. Nobody could argue with that!"

Very responsive

In response, Bob said: "I really enjoyed working on 'High Peak' with Wantage. Lovely people and very responsive.

As I said, for those bands working on it for the regionals I'd recommend listening to vintage Brighouse & Rastrick under Walter Hargreaves or Black Dyke with Geoffrey Brand — both recorded soon after it was first played. Listen also to what the composer says about his piece — he explains it all."