Norway is arguably
the most significant brass-banding European nation outside the
United Kingdom. It’s a measure of how seriously the movement
is taken there, as indeed is music in general, that bands receive
a good deal of government funding, often enabling them to undertake
recording and concert tour projects that bands in Britain could
only dream about.
When it comes to
the annual Norwegian Brass Band Championships, it would be difficult
to imagine a contest in the UK that could be spread over the
course of a Friday and a Saturday; such are the work and professional
commitments that many bandsmen and women here have to contend
with. Yet this is how the Norwegians have come to structure
their home championship, modelled along the lines of the European
Championships in which each of the bands plays a set test piece
on one day and a work of their own choice on the other. The
winner is the band with the highest aggregate over the two days
of contesting. It is a system that many believe to be a more
telling test of a band’s ability and consistency than the one
piece system that has been used in the UK since the very earliest
days of brass band contests.
For some years now
Doyen has released an annual two disc set showcasing the best
performances over the course of the Norwegian contest. The recording
is designed to reflect not just the elite of the Norwegian bands
- of which there are several very fine outfits indeed - but
also the bands from lower sections whose contributions are every
bit as important to the health and success of the movement in
general.
What we get is a
fascinating overview of Norwegian banding in general, displaying
a culture and attitude that is often far more adventurous in
its choice of contemporary repertoire than would ever be the
case in the UK.
There are four immediate
examples of this to be found on these two compact discs. The
set test piece in the Elite Section, Ørjan Matre’s Klang(!)
was written in 2002 when the composer was just twenty-one. It
is a stunningly accomplished piece for a composer so young and
here receives an equally accomplished performance from the ultimate
winners of the championship, Stavanger Brass Band under Scotsman
Russell Gray. This is a piece capable of causing an outcry amongst
the conservatives of the British band movement with its dissonance
and two electro-acoustic “interludes” but to hear it played
with this degree of virtuosity is something special indeed.
Torstein Aagaard–Nilsen
is a young composer who has been quietly making his mark on
the brass band scene in Europe for some time. Although his music
has figured in the European Championships, he has not yet been
adopted by the movers and shakers on the British contest scene.
His Cantigas was commissioned by Manger Musikklag who
gave its premiere as their own choice test-piece under the direction
of Robert Childs. The band ultimately gained the runner-up position
to Stavanger. Whilst undeniably contemporary in its language
Nilsen’s work is perhaps less controversial than Matre’s but
no less demanding on the players who respond at times in breath-taking
fashion. This is particularly the case in the latter section
of the work where the composer utilises dance-like rhythms to
emphasise the folk elements of the Spanish medieval song tradition
from which he drew his inspiration.
Two further premieres
in the form of Babylonian Tablets by Geir Davidsen and
the intriguingly titled Guovssahasat (the Lappish word
for northern light) by Per-Anders Emilsen complete the new works.
Once again these are evidence of the progressive attitude of
the bands - Tromsø Brass Band under Robert Jensen and Ila Brass
Band directed by Trond Korsgård - from outside the “elite” division.
Babylonian Tablets is inspired by the clay tablets dating
to 3000-4000 BC found around the rivers Eufrat and Tigris and
from which much has been learned about ancient legend and life
in the area. Davidsen fashions his work around Persian folk
music as recorded in the 1920s and 1930s whilst also drawing
on imitated sounds of ancient instruments that have modern counterparts.
It’s not an easy task but the results are at times exhilarating
and Tromsø convey a real sense of enthusiasm for the music in
their highly committed performance. Emilsen’s work is more abstract,
both structurally and melodically, in its portrayal of the ever-shifting
patterns of the northern lights. As such it is more difficult
to grasp on a first hearing. Ila Brass make a convincing argument
for its cause although ultimately it does not quite succeed
in creating as vivid an impression as the other new works recorded
here.
The remaining pieces
will be more familiar to aficionados of the brass band although
a couple are worthy of particular mention. John Pickard’s Eden
made a big impression when it was chosen as the test-piece for
the British National Championship Finals in 2005. Stavanger
give a tremendously engaging reading that gets disc one off
to a cracking start. There is the opportunity to compare two
performances of Goff Richards Voyage of Discovery
given by bands from two different divisions whilst other bands
outside the elite section give creditable if not note-perfect
readings of James Curnow’s Trittico, Philip Wilby’s Paganini
Variations, a piece that has now attained almost legendary
status in brass bands circles and works by Peter
Graham and Philip Sparke.
It is a measure of
the musical variety the Norwegian Championships has to offer,
not to mention the strengths of the bands across the divisions,
that Doyen is able to put together a two disc set that can succeed
as a complete listening experience to this degree. It is also
a patently obvious sign for those who didn’t know it already that
British bands no longer have it all their own way.
Christopher Thomas
Stavanger Brass
Band/Russell Gray 
