This disc is outstanding. The playing
of the Buy As You View Band is sensational,
the recorded sound is vivid and - for
the most part - well balanced, the programming
is intelligent and the playing time
of over 75 minutes is excellent value.
For some, this will be all that they
need to read - they can rush out happily
and purchase this disc. For those who
would like some explanation of the superlatives,
read on.
I mentioned that this
disc is intelligently programmed, and
that indeed is part of its appeal. It
feels like a concert. John Williams'
rousing overture raises the curtain,
full of post-Copland fanfare and very
Olympic indeed. The opening track is
followed by a suite from The Armed
Man – A Mass for Peace. I have heard
part of this piece in its original form,
and while the comparisons with Britten's
War Requiem made in the booklet
notes flatter this music, it does fall
easily on the ear. It also works in
this arrangement for brass band and
effectively evokes of days of chivalry.
David Childs' solo in the Benedictus
is beautifully understated. (An aside:
if David Childs is the "Prince
of the Euphonium", as the booklet
notes so proudly proclaim, does that
make his father Bob, the King and his
uncle Nicholas the Grand Duke?) There
are a couple of balance problems here,
though, with the percussion, in particular
the bass drum, placed in front of the
band, especially in the vigorous third
movement, Charge!
The next four pieces
are solo short vehicles for various
of the band's soloists. Chris Thomas
bends the tune of the Londonderry
Air so much in his introduction
that you could be forgiven for thinking
you were about to be treated to a rendition
of I Dream of Jeanie with the Light
Brown Hair. He proves an agile soloist,
as does Owen Farr on tenor horn in the
following track. Joanne Deane is impressively
jazzy on her flügel horn, and David
Childs ends the soloists' section with
a performance of Napoli, which
he brings off with a flourish. I had
hoped for a more interesting solo euphonium
number, as Napoli, in various
arrangements, seems to be an inescapable
staple, but its inclusion here is unlikely
to trouble other listeners ... especially
when it is played so well.
Another suite follows
the solo set, this time the disc's title
composition. Echoes of the East
is in four movements and draws on the
folk music of Eastern Europe rather
than the Far East, as I had expected.
It is an attractive piece. The opening
Aubade is simple and beautiful.
The Village Wedding, which follows,
has a Zigeuner twang and more than a
hint of Klezmer. The final movement,
Gypsy Festival, is bright, danceable
and brings the suite to an exciting
finish.
After the suite come
three popular arrangements, but not
in the order listed in the booklet and
on the back cover. Once this confusion
is overcome, they make an enjoyable
set, though the percussion is again
balanced too close for comfort.
The disc closes with
one of the all-time great brass concert
encores, Ray Farr's arrangement of the
finale to Stravinsky's Firebird.
This comes off brilliantly here and
prompted me to make a comparison with
the version recorded by the Britannia
Brass Band under Howard Snell in the
early 1990s (also on Doyen). My first
reaction was that Ray Farr seems to
have amended his arrangement in the
intervening years, with a few more trombone
flourishes adding unexpected spice in
the new version. My second was that
Britannia have been comprehensively
outplayed. The sound is also perfectly
balanced and the top to bottom clarity
superb. Bravo!
All in all a splendid
disc of light brass band fare. Buy and
enjoy.
Tim Perry
Buy As You View Band/Dr Robert Childs 
