Review | RNCM Brass Band at the RNCM International Brass Band Festival

An Engaging Festival Performance from RNCM Brass Band

The RNCM Brass Band opened up the last day of the RNCM International Brass Band Festival in style with an exciting programme led by college alumnus, internationally-renowned musician and musical director, Katrina Marzella-Wheeler.

HorrorShow by Simon Dobson

Written for the Paris Brass Band in memoriam of the 2015 Paris attacks, HorrorShow is a deeply evocative work. The piece features fiendish technical sections, bold dynamics and pyrotechnic percussion, all woven into a descriptive piece that truly captures the panic, fear and loss associated with the attack. The band handled this challenging work with technical confidence and superb solo efforts around the stand. The piece's more solemn, hymnal moments were handled with exquisite dynamic control and beautiful musicality—an outstanding performance of a challenging work. 

Mosaic by Elgar Howarth

In the words of Edward Gregson during the morning’s concert, this piece goes to shows what can be done with a simple motif when in the hand’s of a master composer. Conducted by student conductor, Harry Lai, Mosaic is a colourful little jewel of a piece and the masterful handing over of the jaunty melody line across the band was a joy to listen to. This is a work with a lot of fine detail and many opportunities to miscount or ‘blob in’, yet this ensemble was incredibly tight and handled every phrase with precision.

Concerto for Trombone by Derek Bourgeois, Performed by David Bremner

This was one of the standout performances of the weekend for me. I’ve never heard David perform before the RNCM International Brass Band Festival, but I was amazed from the very first note of this piece. Derek Bourgeois’ Concerto for Trombone is a major solo work split into three movements: Allegro, Adagio and Presto that features beautiful expressive and lively technical sections throughout. 

David delivered this work with so much style and musical charisma. The relationship between the band and soloist was incredible to watch with colourful technical sections and characterful themes passed from soloist to band and beautiful little moments of dialogue between David and soloists around the stand. 

Four Etudes by Edward Gregson

Inspired by Stravinsky’s Quatre Etudes, Gregson’s Four Etudes was commissioned by Black Dyke Band and were composed especially for the recording marking the conclusion of the of Gregson’s year as Composer-in-Residence for the band. The first three etudes, Canticle, Dance and Excentrique are based on a set of piano pieces Gregson composed in 1982. The final etude was influenced by the devastation in Aleppo caused by severe military attacks. 

This is the first time I’ve heard the work and I feel it’s one of those that you’ll find something new within the complex writing each time you hear it. This was a carefully crafted performance and you could hear a lot of hard work had gone into this work from both the individual members of the band and the interpretation from the musical director. 

Drumming the Plain, the Horseman is Coming by Kelly-Marie Murphy

Written in 1992, Drumming the Plain, the Horseman is Coming was the first piece Murphy wrote after moving to England to complete her PhD at the University of Leeds, under the mentorship of Philip Wilby. After three months in Leeds, the composer was longing for her home in Calgary, so imagery of plains and horses features heavily with driving rhythms and military-style snare drum. 

This work featured wonderful snippets of solo cornet, soprano cornet (especially a particular solo moment that soared above the band with impressive tonal control)  baritone and flugel . It was seriously exciting writing that was reminiscent of the adventurous soundtracks of Bruce Broughton and Jerry Goldsmith.