I have come to expect
high standards from Douglas Bostock
and his Japanese band, the Tokyo Kosei
Wind Orchestra and am glad to say that
this latest disc, in a steady flow of
recordings from them, is no exception.
The tag "Volume
1" promises more to come in their
new all-British series. If this initial
instalment is anything to go by the
accent will be on achieving a perceived
balance between the less familiar, the
classics of the genre and the somewhat
hackneyed strains of patriotic favourites,
represented here by two of Elgar’s Pomp
and Circumstance marches. On this
level it is a shame that arrangements
have to be included when there is so
much deserving original music around.
The welcome inclusion of Alun Hoddinott’s
suite of Welsh Airs and Dances
leads me to hope that future volumes
will capitalise on the wide range of
contemporary composers who have now
contributed to the genre. Encouragingly,
Douglas Bostock mentions, in his own
sleeve-note, that there will be music
both well known and less familiar on
forthcoming releases.
Whilst on the subject
of arrangements it must be said that
John Boyd’s wind orchestration of Holst’s
Japanese Suite works exceptionally
well and provides an appropriate link
between the music and the performers.
Although lesser known than the earlier
oriental suite Beni Mora, the
melodic material of the Japanese
Suite is undeniably attractive.
This stems in part from Holst’s characteristically
imaginative treatment of his themes,
a mixture of the original and traditional
Japanese melodies whistled to him by
Michio Ito, the Japanese dancer at whose
suggestion the music was written. The
atmospheric opening Song of the Fisherman
and fiery final Dance of the Wolves
are particularly finely played.
In much the same way
as Holst, Alun Hoddinott has used the
occasional traditional melody in certain
of his lighter works and this suite
of Airs and Dances shows the
composer at his most accessible and
unashamedly tuneful. The traditional
melodies (all of which are identified
by their Welsh titles in the booklet)
are beautifully orchestrated and elaborated
without losing their feeling of simplicity.
The result is enjoyable in much the
same way as the Arnold English Dances.
Grainger’s Lincolnshire
Posy needs little introduction although
it is worth noting that the piece is
heard here in a full score edition assembled
by the American guru of the symphonic
wind band, Frederick Fennell. Fennell
himself is a former principal conductor
of the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra and
remains their Conductor Laureate. Once
again Bostock draws playing of a high
standard from his band, with luscious,
mellow sonorities in the slower movements.
Listen out too for some striking effects
in the orchestration; the stuttering
trumpets in the middle of Rufford
Park Poachers are a notable
example.
Topping and tailing
the disc, the brief Flourish for
Wind Band by Vaughan Williams is
less well known than his Toccata
Marziale but provides a stately
and celebratory opening. Grainger’s
Gum Sucker’s March is the finale
from his suite In a Nutshell,
taking its name from the natives of
Grainger’s home Australian state, Victoria,
who were known for chewing the leaves
of the eucalyptus tree during periods
of drought. As Lewis Foreman points
out in his typically informative booklet
notes, the disarmingly tuneful melody
is subjected to some particularly sophisticated
treatment by Grainger, whose musical
mind was always one step ahead of times.
In all, effervescent
playing from Bostock’s Japanese band,
recorded in a natural and lifelike acoustic.
Well worth a listen.
Christopher Thomas
Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra/Douglas Bostock
