Winner: The Lost Circle (Jan Van der Roost)
2. Variations on an Enigma (Philip Sparke)
3. Smoke Sketches (Daniel Hall)
A work inspired by the mystery and majesty of Stonehenge imagined by Belgian composer Jan Van de Roost has been voted as the '4BR Test Piece of the Year'.
It was a collaborative commission between various contesting bodies and was premiered at the British Open in September, followed by the German, Austrian, Dutch, Swiss and Belgian Championships.
It gained 6 first choice nominations from the panel plus three other top three choices.
Philip Sparke's 1986 work, 'Variations on an Enigma' which was used as the top section Regional Championship test-piece is runner-up, gaining 4 first choice nominations and 3 other top three choices.
Third place goes to a work of more recent vintage in Daniel Hall's 'Smoke Sketches', written in 2017 and used as the Fourth Section National Final test piece in Cheltenham. It gained 2 first choice nominations and three other choices from the panel.
Panel:
The Awards Panel consisted of: Iwan Fox (4BR Editor); Malcolm Wood (4BR); Chris Thomas (4BR & BBW); Gordon Simpson (brass band statistician); Anne Crookston (conductor/adjudicator); Sarah Groarke-Booth (conductor/adjudicator); Alexander Zwann (conductor/journalist); Jess Tredrea (conductor/musician); Tim Mutum (brass band historian); Tom Davoren (conductor/composer); Michael Franz (Editor Brass Band News Switzerland); Henk Van Loon (Editor CU Brass); Stein Skorpholm (broadcaster/musician); Camila Soderstrom Tveit (musician/adjudicator); Philippa Edwards AOM (conductor/performing arts producer)
It was a collaborative commission between various contesting bodies and was premiered at the British Open in September4BR
Past Winners:
2023: Sand and Stars (Thierry Deleruyelle)
2022: The World Rejoicing: Variations on a Lutheran Chorale (Edward Gregson)
2021: The World Rejoicing: Variations on a Lutheran Chorale (Edward Gregson)
2020: Neverland (Christopher Bond)
2019: Dear Cassandra… (Ludovic Neurohr)
2018: Concerto Grosso (Derek Bourgeois)
2017: Fraternity (Thierry Deleruyelle)
2016: Fraternity (Thierry Deleruyelle)
2015: The God Particle (Rolf Rudin)
2014: Vita Aeterna Variations (Ed de Boer writing as Alexander Comitas)
2013: Of Distant Memories (Music in an Olden Style) (Edward Gregson)
2012: Goldberg 2012 (Svein Henrik Giske)
2011: Breath of Souls (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)
2010: Saint Saens Variations (Philip Sparke)
2009: Titan's Progress (Hermann Pallhuber)
2008: The Dark Side of the Moon (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)
2007: Music for Battle Creek (Philip Sparke)
2006: Vienna Nights (Philip Wilby)
2005: Eden (Dr. John Pickard)
2004: St. Magnus (Kenneth Downie)
2003: Festival Music (Eric Ball)
2002: Masquerade (Philip Wilby)
2001: Albion (Jan Van der Roost)
