A Breathless Gnu Kiss!
Idar Torskangerpoll
Norsk Noteservice as
Price: See website
http://www.noteservice.no/About-us.aspx?ID=54
If your band is looking for something different to get to grips with for your next ‘own choice’ contest, then this brilliant piece, aimed at bands up to Second Section UK standard will certainly fit the bill.
Commissioned by the Langhus Band for the Norwegian Nationals in the Fourth Section in 2007, it caused quite a stir – and not just because of the title.
It’s based on the thematic notation that makes up their name, and these fragments are used both horizontally and vertically to create a tremendously colourful, exciting and witty three movement piece which lasts about 10 minutes.
There is something for everyone with plenty of percussion work, solo lines and ensemble detail – and it ends with a real bang. It should bring a smile to the face of players, audiences, and hopefully, adjudicators alike.
By the way - the title is in fact an anagram – but it spells out an absolute Norwegian inspired corker.
Dragon’s Rise
Matthew Hall
Triton Works Music Publishing House
Price: £30.00
http://www.matthew-hall.co.uk/TritonWorksBrass.htm
Matthew Hall is the composer in residence for 2010 British Open Champion, Tredegar, and winner of the ‘Best New Composition’ Award at last year’s Brass in Concert entertainment contest.
The Welsh band extensively employed his compositional skills during their record breaking season – especially in entertainment contests and high profile concerts.
’Dragon’s Rise’ is a short high-energy opener that hits you right between the eyes. It’s bold, pacy and colourful and will take a solid band with good technique (it has its fair share of semi quaver work) and a cornet end with stamina (and a sop with the ability to whack out top Cs) to really sizzle.
The opening fanfares give way to a high tempo rhythmic drive full of melody. The pace is maintained just about to the end, when a lung burster finish should get the audience right in the mood for the rest of your programme.
The Smile
Matthew Hall
Triton Works Music Publishing House
Price: £30.00
http://www.matthew-hall.co.uk/TritonWorksBrass.htm
Nostalgia is all the rage at the moment – and with brass band audiences made up of a fair proportion of ‘Werther’s Originals’ buyers, this piece really fits the demographic profile for a brass band concert.
It’s a very shrewd mix of three old ‘Songs of Praise’ favourites (‘Lord of All Hope’, ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ and ‘The Old Rugged Cross’) with up to date tonal colours – all enhanced (especially if the band has room on the concert stage) by a neat bit of atmospheric choreography.
Technically it’s well within the scope of a band with solid soloists and a conductor with a touch of imagination.
Vengeance (Tonnau’r Cawr)
Cai Isfryn
Prima Vista Musikk
Price: £34.95
http://www.primavistamusikk.com/
Cai Isfryn is the talented Welshman who used to play cornet with Black Dyke and is now gaining critical acclaim both for his playing and compositions.
’Vengeance’ is an atmospheric concert piece that takes its inspiration from the myth of Welsh goddess of love, Branwen, who was having a hard time of it with her Irish husband Matholwick.
When her big brother Bendigeidfran hears about it he sets off across the Irish Sea for a ding-dong battle that would make a Six Nations match at Lansdowne Road look like a genteel picnic in the park.
It’s fast, furious, full of tension, drama, rhythm and dynamic changes - and with added choreography the whole shebang is brought thrillingly to life. It’s well within the scope of a competent band that can just about control its desire to go completely bonkers…
An ideal end to a night out at a brass band concert then…
Overture: Ruslan & Ludmilla
Glinka arr. Dr Robert Childs
Prima Vista Musikk
Price: £49.95
http://www.primavistamusikk.com/
If you really are looking for an overture to showcase your bands talents to the full then they don’t come any better than Mikhail Glinka’s old roaster, which lasts about 5 minutes according to the score but can be considerably shorter if your band is full of tip top technicians.
It’s all under the fingers in terms of the florid mechanics, but it has to be played with a razor sharp clarity if it is not to sound like the early morning rush to get to the counter at a Moscow bread shop.
It has all the ingredients to thrill from the start, whilst the MD may well take note of the storyline to set the scene before a note is blown – which includes a fight with a disembodied head, lots of love interest, deaths by the bucket load – and a flying dwarf with a magic beard.
Who needs the music from Harry Potter when you’ve got stuff like this to thrill your audience?
