Review | Black Dyke Band at the RNCM International Brass Band Festival
Black Dyke Band: From the Mysteries of Space to the Power of Nature
Black Dyke Band’s performance at the RNCM International Brass Band Festival was a journey of epic proportions that transported the audience from the twinkling stars of the galaxy to the depths of the ocean, with works from Philip Wilby, Karl Jenkins and Andrea Price.
Ad Astra by Jacob Vilhelm Larsen
The band started their performance, in front of a packed-out audience in the RNCM Concert Hall, with Jacob Larsen’s glittering ‘Ad Astra’. With a title that means, ‘to the stars’, Ad Astra was commissioned for the Stavanger Brass Band and performed at their 30th Anniversary celebration concert. It was a galactic sparkler of an opening with bold colourful ensemble writing and delicately phrased solo moments from flugelhorn and principal cornet.
Astralis by Philip Wilby
We continued our journey through space with a premiere performance of the work with a new accompanying video. Astralis is a dark, descriptive work that is inspired by the images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope that was launched on 25th December 2021. Astralis is made up of 5 movements, each using the various images drawn from the telescope’s photographs as inspiration:
Prologue: Ice and Fire
Deep Field
Black Hole
Nebula
Epilogue Ad Astra
The work was written for Whitburn Band for their performance at the European Brass Band Championships that were held in Malmo in 2023. The piece was then chosen as the set work for the Scottish Open Championships in the same year.
This is a huge work that requires a lot of technical strength, which was delivered with absolute precision from around the stand. The solo moments in this work were incredible, particularly from the band’s flugehorn, Phoebe Mallinson with a haunting slow melody solo performed from the raised platforms at the back of the stage that showed off her sonorous sound with such a pure tone that filled the hall.
The video showcasing the visuals of the aforementioned astronomical features really brought this piece to life.
Force of Nature by Peter Graham, Performed by David Childs
Next up, was a virtuosic concerto for euphonium written by Peter Graham and performed by David Childs. Force of Nature is inspired by the life of Ernest Hemingway featuring three movements:
Matador - a fiery, flamenco-style movement representing the traditions of Spanish bullfighting that fascinated Hemingway
Wayfarer - Hemingway satisfied his wanderlust by serving on the Italian Front at the age of 18 as an ambulance driver in World War 1, where he was wounded within days and experienced the horrors of the battlefield
Pilar - the piece’s final movement represents Hemingway’s beloved boat which inspired some of his works, including The Old Man and the Sea and Islands in the Stream.
The work started with an impromptu solo for iPhone from a member of the audience - but once that awkward moment was silenced, we were thrust into the bullring with a heroic opening statement from the solo instrument that leads into a stoic melody, full of poise but with an undertone of apprehension, as both matador and bull lock eyes with each other. Two of the band’s percussionists, Logan Thompson and Gareth Hand were placed on either side of the stage performing on cajons (a wooden box-shaped percussion instrument commonly used in Afro-Peruvian, flamenco and other Latin American music) which was a really cool element to hear and to watch.
The work then moves into a more serene movement with a sweeping, tender slow melody that sounds so familiar - I’m not sure if it’s a quotation of a song that I just can’t remember the name of or whether it just reminds me of another song - it’s Shenandoah/Scarborough Fair-ish. It’s beautiful nonetheless and was delivered with a gorgeously warm sound.
Finally, the last movement in this work is an adrenaline-filled, adventurous affair filled with trepidation. With a lilting undercurrent in the ensemble, David’s delivery of this whirlwind of a final movement was the dictionary definition of virtuosity that finished with a final note up in the gods, as a final reminder that the soloist himself is a force of nature when it comes to the euphonium.
Fragile Earth by Karl Jenkins
Speaking of nature, the next work in Black Dyke’s festival programme was from the pen of acclaimed composer Karl Jenkins. Written for the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, Fragile Earth, highlights the challenges posed by climate change and the healing power of nature.
The work is made up of 3 movements. The first, entitled Scorched Earth, has a menacing, imposing feel in the form of a march written to represent humanity marching through, destroying nature in its wake. Once the turbulence fades we are transitioned into a lush, melodic section for a moment before the chaos of the opening returns as humanity continues to tread through.
The second movement, entitled The Blue, starts with a clever sound effect achieved through members of the band blowing through their instruments to achieve the sound of the waves upon the shore. A quintet of musicians made up of flugel, cornet, horn, euphonium and baritone introduce the reflective theme of this movement. This would be a stunning musical backdrop to an ocean documentary, like Blue Planet, it is so illustrative. The movement ends with a final ring of tubular bells - a sign of time running out?
The final movement, Flight, features a conversational section between solo horn, flugel and euphonium, which conjures images of humanity coming together as ticking percussion (sticks on the side of a snare drum) counts down to time running out for us if we continue to destroy the planet we call home. It’s frantic, but there is an undertone of hope weaved throughout before the final run towards the finish line builds in suspense and a sense of determination. What a piece this is!
And Earth Raised Up Her Head by Andrea Price
This work wasn’t just the highlight of the band’s programme, it was the highlight of the whole festival for me. Although it may be short in length compared to the other pieces on the programme, it packed a huge emotive punch.
And Earth Raised Up Her Head was written by educator, adjudicator, composer, conductor, and percussionist for Black Dyke Band, Andrea Price, who conducted the band during their performance of this work. As the title suggests, it is a musical depiction of Earth rising in anger and displaying her rage at mankind for destroying nature. The work was written in tribute to Edward Gregson and contained some quotations from Gregson’s musical portfolio.
The piece starts with an ominous bass line and intermittent roars of bass trombone before the band gradually builds into a huge anguished chord as Earth appears. With violent percussive moments and huge dynamics, her rage is palpable but it is intricately layered with melody lines throughout - there is depth to this anger. When the drum kit hits with a rock rhythm, I had literal goosebumps, this work is as listenable as much as it is incredibly clever, which is testament to Andrea Price’s engaging writing. The moment the Bach chorale enters the fray with a quartet of bass, bari, horn and flugel is such a stunning moment of calm and sadness. Don’t be fooled, by this beautiful moment, Earth wants you to know that she is still very much angry at you ,as a bow runs over a cymbal in a sharp, warning. As the piece closed, my jaw was firmly on the floor - this is an incredible piece.
Edward Gregson’s Trombone Concerto, Performed By Ian Bousfield
The penultimate piece of Black Dyke Band’s performance was delivered by the band’s second guest soloist of the evening, Ian Bousfield.
Written in 1979, this work is made up of three sections performed in one continuous movement. The piece opens with a slow introduction containing the main themes and elements used throughout the work. It has quite a dreamy feel that transitions us into a lively technical section finished with a stroke of timpani and gong. The second section is slow and melodic allowing Ian to showcase his sound and lyricism before entering into a characterful cadenza, which Ian injected full of personality, toying with the audience in an expert display of stage presence and technical skill. The final movement is a lively, dance-like scherzo before a recapitulation of the opening slow theme and a final flourish of an ending.
Of Men and Mountains by Edward Gregson
After a programme of huge pieces, Black Dyke Band finished off their International Brass Band Festival programme with Edward Gregson’s masterpiece, Of Men and Mountains. Commissioned by the Netherlands Brass Band Championships for their 10th anniversary contest in 1990, Of Men and Mountains was inspired by a train journey Gregson took in 1989 across Canada, from Toronto to Vancouver. It’s an awe-inspiring work with majestic melodies and huge sweeping chords.
The stand-out moments in this performance were the incredible solo offerings from Principal Cornet - Richard Marshall, flugelhorn - Phoebe Mallinson and Euphonium - Adam Bokaris. To say the solo lines were effortless would do the soloists a disservice - every single note seemed to be placed so thoughtfully and phrased so carefully in an incredible display of individual artistry. As a player, it was very inspiring to watch.
Pavane and Hunting Jig by Elgar Howarth
Before the band took their final bow, they treated us to an encore that paid tribute to the great Elgar Howarth by performing the Pavane and Hunting Jig from his Music From the Elizabethan Court. The performance of these movements followed a humorous, but moving tribute from the band’s musical director, Nicholas Childs. It was a fantastic and emotive way to finish off what was a stellar performance from Black Dyke Band.
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