Wow. Just... wow.

Cory Band perform 'The Triumph of Time' by Peter Graham at the 2016 British Open Championships last year.

Wow.

Enjoy.

December Playlist

Ok, let's start with the confession first. My 'Sunday Playlist' has already changed. I haven't managed to create any since that first one so, with that in mind, I decided that a monthly playlist would be more suitable. So I'm starting over with December.

December being December means that there is most certainly a Christmas feel to this playlist. If Christmas music isn't your thing, I'm sorry, but there is something a little less Christmas-sy included too. This is in the form of Tallis Variations, a wonderful 14 minutes of music from the pen of Philip Sparke. I had the honour to hear Glyn Williams perform Candlelight Carol live at the beginning of December, a stunning piece played beautifully by a maestro of the instrument. Further to that, standard brass band festive fair is included; Jingle Bells (performed by Lions Youth) and Mistletoe and Wine - a piece I remember well from my time playing with Audley - this time performed again by Cory. The playlist (just over half an hour) is finished by the fantastic 'Yule Dance,' a superb combination of  O Little Town of Bethlehem, In Dulcio Jubilo, I Saw Three Ships and Sussex Carol.

Jingle BellsComposer: Traditional, Arranger: Derek Ashmore
Performer: Lions Youth Band
Conductor: Nigel Birch

Tallis Variations
Composer: Philip Sparke
Performer: Cory Band
Conductor: Philip Harper

Candlelight Carol
Composer: John Rutter, Arranger: David Griffiths
Performer: Cory Band
Conductor: Philip Harper
Soloist: Glyn Williams

Mistletoe and Wine
Composer: Jeremy Paul, Leslie Stewart and Keith Strachan, Arranger: Darrol Barry
Performer: Buy As You View Band
Conductor: Robert Childs

Yule Dance
Composer: Philip Harper
Performer: Cory Band
Conductor: Philip Harper

Salute to the Cory

On 20th November 2016 the Cory Band and their Musical Director, Philip Harper, won the final trophy in their quite astonishing 'Grand Slam.'

Up to that point 2016 had seen them win:

• The European Brass Band Championships
• British Open Brass Band Championships and
• The National Brass Band Championship Final

At the Sage, Gateshead, they completed the full house when they won the Brass In Concert Entertainment competition. An astonishing achievement.

With all that in mind, I felt it prudent to post the link to the BBC Listen to the Band radio programme that has their full programme. It's well worth a listen as it's going to be a long time before we see/hear a brass band as good as the 2016 Cory Band.

You can listen to their winning performance 'The Extraordinary Life of Roald Dahl' by clicking here.

Enjoy!

Sunday Playlist 1

In a new feature for my blog I've decided that, when time permits, I'll put together a 'Sunday Playlist' of music I've listened to over the past week. A half hour each-way journey to work, plus other journeys that the working week entails, means I get the chance to listen to plenty.

Here is this weeks, 26 minutes including a nice mix of old and new, with some stunning lyrical playing thrown in before ending with the timeless Resurgam. The best brass band piece out there? Maybe, maybe not, but the perfect piece for a Sunday for sure.

Gallipoli '100' March
Composer: Martin Ellerby
Performer: Black Dyke
Conductor: Nicholas Childs

Barney's Tune
Composer: Elgar Howarth
Performer: Buy As You View Band
Conductor: Robert Childs

Soloist: Andrew Williams (Bass Trombone)

Libertango
Composer: Astor Piazolla, Arranger: Jeremy Sleith
Performer: Fairey Band
Conductor: Mark Peacock

Revered Archie Beaton
Composer: John Mason, Arranger: Frode Ryland
Performer: Fodens Band
Conductor: Michael Fowles
Soloist: Glynn Williams (Euphonium)

Resurgam
Composer: Eric Ball
Performer: Cory Band
Conductor: Philip Harper

What's On My iPod 3

For me, one of the beauties of music is that you don't need to play a certain instrument - or even play at all - to appreciate the beauty of it. To that end, I'm no trumpet soloist. But this CD, regardless of what you do or don't play is an absolute must have.

Tine Thing Helseth, the Norwegian trumpet sensation's debut album for EMI, Storyteller, eschews the more traditional concertos and 'show off' pieces focusing on telling stories without words through the medium of her trumpet and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

What do you end up with? A quite stunning CD full of warm, rich, lyrical playing that does exactly what it's titles suggests; tells a story, or rather, stories. For me, the items which see the trumpet take the lead on soaring melodic lines see Tine Thing Helseth at her best. In fact, for me, the first ten seconds - and the soloist's third note - of the CD are worth the price alone. Click play below to have a listen.

Regardless of what you play - trumpet, clarinet, bagpipes, comb and paper - buy this CD. You won't regret it.

Whats on my iPod 2?

It's been a while since I've blogged about music and what I'm listening to. Last time, I was listening to the fabulous YBS Band under the baton of David King. Fast forward to October and I'm still listening to a band directed by David King, just this time it's the world famous Brighouse & Rastrick Band and their 2014 'in concert' CD, titled Vita Destructa.

Professor King rarely follows the traditional concert pattern when it comes to programming; march, overture, solo etc. He works his own order out and to me this makes for a far more interesting listening experience. The CD opens with the ten minute Latin fantasy 'El Carmino Real' which is full of the fire you'd expect of a latin number but for me it is the second track, 'In Love For Me' which is the highlight of the CD. It is beautifully treated, both by band and MD who draw all the emotion out of the music. 

All the soloists are on excellent form - I particularly enjoyed Ryan Watkins' performance of 'Radio City' - and the rest of the programme is performed with aplomb and a slight swagger. The final track, Vita Destructa, is a real tour de force by 17 year old Todd Smith. His handling of the hymn 'Abide With Me' is interwoven maturely with other melodic ideas to bring the CD to a thrilling close.

What else can I say but what an excellent CD this is.

What's On My IPod?

At the minute I'm immersed in the quite wonderful playing of the then Yorkshire Building Society Brass Band on their triple CD 'Kings of Europe.'

You're probably aware by now that I'm a huge 'bander' and my in car playlist very rarely fails to feature a brass band CD of some sort. In the past 18 months or so I've gained more of a taste for the more serious side of the movements repertoire, in particularly enjoying the annual European Championship highlights CD, full of live performances. Kings of Europe is music taken from YBS's performances at the this contest where, in the late 90's and early 00's, they won the championships seven times in eight years. A staggering achievement.

When you listen to this CD it's easy to see why; Blitz (somehow only placed 8th, however), Montage, Concerto Grosso and many more get stellar performances. My own favourite is Tallis Variations, a quite wonderful reading with the most delicate of finales and Pageantry. Pageantry is by no means a great performance, in all fairness. However, sometime you need some luck and it seems like YBS got it on that performance. To me though, Pageantry is just a great piece, hence why it's up there on my favourite track listings.

In short, this is a quite wonderful CD and, sadly, is now rather a commemorative work as the band is, although still a top level band, no longer reaching the great heights it did under the baton of Professor David King.

However, what a legacy to leave.