Cathedral Brass - Brisbane Excelsior Brass

Conductor: Howard Taylor
St. John's Cathedral, Brisbane
Saturday 13 November 2004

The concert by the Brisbane Excelsior Band under the direction of Musical Director Howard Taylor was held in the magnificent St John's Cathedral in Brisbane, with proceeds going towards the completion of the beautiful building which is based on the Truro Cathedral in Cornwall in the UK.

It was with some trepidation that I attended Brisbane Excelsior's Cathedral Brass Concert, with temperatures still in the high 30oC when the opening number commenced.  As a result the building was extremely hot and the humidity was high.

However my fears were soon dispelled with the opening numbers from 'Brassed Off' sounding balanced and tuneful.  Amanda Casagrande's rendition of 'Concerto de Aranjuez' was beautifully executed, with clear articulation and a lovely mellow tone. A haunting version of 'Londonderry Air' followed, with the euphoniums carrying the melody line, and which was enhanced by the use of miner's helmets with their lights beaming in the darkness.

A perennial favourite, 'Cornet Carillon', by Ronald Binge displayed balanced bell-like cornet playing, with the sounds well suited to the echoing acoustics of the cathedral. 'Laudate Dominum' which came next was generally well played, however the cornets were over powered at times and the balance went a little astray.  The acoustics of the church made it difficult for the basses to articulate their faster moving sections, but the work finished with a very majestic climax.

A highlight of the night, and again a well-chosen piece for the venue, was Howard Snell's arrangement of 'Arioso'.  A very controlled and tuneful eupho/baritone section really milked the moment and it was great playing from the often under utilised team!

Virtuoso euphonium player, Riki McDonnell, wowed the audience with 'Pokarekareana', followed by 'Let My Try Again' in which Riki displayed his usual mellow rich sound and highly controlled playing technique.  Riki teamed up with Australian Eupho champion, Ashley Gittins, to perform the famous duet 'Deep Inside the Sacred Temple'.  Unfortunately this was not as balanced as it should have been, but still a deeply moving performance.

Another highlight of the night was the Finale from 'Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3.'  Rich sonorous sounds, clear cornet work and fine organ playing by Christopher Cook, combined to create a majestic and powerful, finely played work. 

Other highlights of the evening were James Curnow's fine arrangement of 'Nicea', 'Toccata in D Minor' (Bach, arr. Ray Farr) and Boellman's 'Suite Gothique.' 

Due to the cathedral's acoustics, some of the faster moving cornet and bass sections were lost, however this was not to the detriment of the concert as a whole and each of the chosen works had the hallmark of good quality preperation, balance and a warm rounded tonal sound, and in the presence of The Governor of Queensland, the Archbishop and the Dean of the Cathedral the large congregation gave the band a standing ovation after their final number. The trip over from New Zealand to hear the band was well worth it for this listener and critic!

Howard Taylor has worked his magic with Brisbane Excelsior.  The band was well rehearsed, had few tuning problems and a mellow warm tone and as the review from the local Courier-Mail newspaper of 16th November 2004 put it: "Brisbane has yet to awaken to the presence of talented British conductor Howard Taylor and the wonders he is working with Brisbane Excelsior Band. While strengthening the bands technique he is bringing a new dimension to band concerts".

You couldn't argue with that at all.

Kathy Moseley
Copyright 4BR

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