Chunky yet strangely attractive.........oh and Chris ;-)
Where to start then? Probably best with an apology. I’m not a
cheerful bunny at silly O’clock in the morning, so anyone talking to me on the
coach first thing was almost certainly met with my usual early morning short
shrift.
Congratulations youth band, a great result, and in respect to the
2nd placed band, a difficult choice for an adjudicator to
make. Two very different programmes. Two very different bands. Both with so much
good to say about their performances.
With the adjudicator being a “reed licker”, and not a 1970’s
ex Grimethorpe bandsman, I honestly couldn’t say which way it was going to go.
The cornet solo from the band before you was truly beautiful, but it was your
day in his eyes. Yours was such an interesting programme, and nothing played was
too hard for the whole band, which was a gamble other MD’s on the day took. Your
offering held the audience’s attention from start to end, it was polished, and
they interacted with you and Mary throughout.
The MD has to have the audience in their hand the moment he /
she opens their mouth, and Mary’s usual informative approach had them from the
start. Others struggled with this. You were being cheered by the majority of the
audience at the end of Ghostbusters, and people were asking Mary afterwards
where she got her music from. The answer - the majority of it is from publishers
who specialise solely for youth bands, and we are fortunate to have one such
publisher here on the Island, whose music was played.
The nice thing about Vectis, is that what you see is what you
get. The same Vectis band on stage in Downton will be the same Vectis band
performing in the summer on a bandstand. Having been in this game since an early
age, and knowing our area well, I can say that this wasn’t the case with at
least one other band in the training section, and the use of championship
section players as “adult helpers” in that training band section was shameful,
not in the interests of a true youth band contest, and it was so refreshing last
year that the adjudicator saw through that with his comments to the audience
about it not working. Wessex BBA, you need to look at this, it’s not right. MD’s
and bands who allow it, you should be ashamed.
My thoughts on the pieces? For what it’s worth are as
follows: -
Training Band
Can’t take my eyes off of you – Daisy, well done, it
was a clear and confident sound. Took a couple of seconds to settle tempo wise
(band accompaniment) in the opening, but was balanced, and swung well. The semi
quaver runs were tidy and came through clear. A pleasing start.
She Moves Through The Fair – This is a big gamble in
my opinion, a poor start (only three people playing first few bars) could have
undone all the good of the first piece in holding the audiences attention, but
“wallop” &“have some of that you lot” from the principal cornet at the
opening nailed it, and lead for a confident pick up from rep & 2nd man down.
This helps the band remain settled, and you deliver a balanced performance.
Beautiful closing, and the gamble paid off. Mary’s explanation to the audience
of this being a good teaching tool for airflow / control was well received, and
would have impressed the man at the back.
Streets of London – I’d forgotten how much I liked
this piece, and as a Sop player at eighteen (was that really ten years ago?), my
chosen solo back then was Stephen Corbett’s Solitaire. Faye, this was confident
from the start through to the end, your intonation was good, and the opening 8 –
10 bars (accompaniment) was very pleasing, dare I say bordering on a traditional
pit band sound. Perc a tad too loud thereafter, but it settled within two bars
and the tempo remained solid. I love the “oranges & lemons” blending. I
don’t know how long that piece has been kept in the dark of the Vectis library,
but bravo it’s made an appearance again.
Sandon – Anyone who knows me will know my love of Hymn
Tunes for warm up / down, especially the use of pedal notes. I’d play them all
day long if I could. Sandon is a favourite, and it went down well with the
audience, so much so that some old bloke across the way from me was singing
along (and he was in tune too). Everything about this was good, balanced and
with nice intonation. A sustained Bass note between verses is a must, although
this one was a little too quiet. Well done, it was a crowd pleaser.
Raiders – First time I’ve heard you play this, and it
was clear you liked this piece, as did we in the audience. Nice tight start,
clear melody, and well balanced.
As you were walking off to sustained applause, I could hear
comments around me about how young most of you were compared to the others, and
how well prepared and disciplined you were. Mary’s total control and cueing of
parts held everything together. If anything appeared to wobble in tempo, it was
over as soon as it started with her tight grip. The people behind me were saying
they needed her for their band. Good job they don’t know how gobby she can be !!
You were unfairly outgunned by a few of the other bands, but your mid way
placing was a good result for such a new band. You should feel very proud. We
certainly were.
Youth Band
Roman Wall
A piece you’ve played a few times now, and it was a confident
and controlled opener with good supporting percussion throughout. I’m glad you
didn’t go for an Alford or Sousa March. Not in front of a Royal Marine anyway
!!
Eventide
Another traditional Hymn tune from those wonderful red books.
Clipped opening was a heart stopping moment, but the recovery was instant, and
it was a tuneful performance that again had the old bloke opposite singing
along. The sustained Bass note between verses was warm and full. I liked this a
lot, so did they.
500 Miles
The only trouble with Scotland is it’s full of Scots ! This
was the one that got the audience on your side, the mood in the hall changed
instantly with feet tapping everywhere. Neat and tight opening, the “da da da
da” call and answer between cornets & trom’s was fabulous, it sounded like
it was in Stereo, and it was clear you enjoyed playing it as much as the
audience enjoyed listening to it.
Highland Farewell
Another one that wowed the audience, with Isabelle’s
confident cornet solo, along with Sam’s side drum playing stealing the show.
This had some fine accompaniment and dynamics. I loved the portrayal of Bagpipes
by the lower brass at the opening. The adjudicator said in his remarks he could
almost smell the Whisky. For me it was Youngers Tartan Ale, and a traditional
Glasgow knees up on New Years Eve.
Ghostbusters
The audience just wanted more and more of this. There was an
excited gasp as it was announced, and they were clapping along with feet
tapping. The shouting “Ghostbusters” was loud and proud. The entertaining
closing with instruments raised and ghostly shriek was just what they wanted, to
then see you clapped and cheered off the stage.
Other things that stood out for me were the deportment on and
off. This was neat and tidy, with instruments being raised and lowered together
as directed by the MD. It was very effective, and had to impress the
adjudicator. Intonation throughout was good, even when some were starting to get
tired. Dynamics were also mostly good, and a wider range in sound is something
to work on for next years defending of your placing.
This was not your standard March, solo, slow piece, unfunny
comedy routine, and done to death closer. It was a sensible balance, that
showcased everyone together, and had an exciting pulse, which was enough to
convince the man at the back to place you No1. Well done bands, well done Mary.
I very much enjoyed the day and your performances, it was a musical feast.
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