Area championships preview evening

Boarshurst Band Club was the venue for The North West Area Brass Band Championships Preview Evening on Sunday (22 February).

Organised by the band club, this now annual and local event, provides an insight into the test pieces to be played at the Area Championships in the Winter Gardens, Blackpool on Sunday 1 March.

Four bands were invited to represent their respective sections and demonstrate to a packed audience how far along the “road to perfection” weeks of rehearsals had taken them.

Mock Adjudication was provided by David Horsfield (FC L), executive member of the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators (ABBA).

Milnrow Band, under the baton of Mark Bentham, were first on stage and commenced with a couple of warm up pieces.

First was the march ‘The Thin Red Line’ by Kenneth J Alford. First published in 1925 the march was in memory of a defence by the 93rd Highlanders at the battle of Balaclava.

This was followed by a short sample of the late Eric Ball’s music, before the band launched into the Championship Section test piece ‘The Torchbearer’ - variations based on themes from the music of Eric Ball and composed in his style by Peter Graham.

Sale Brass then took to the stage with Joshua Hughes at the helm and commenced with the march ‘Gold Crest.’ Composed by the well-respected Salvationist the late James Anderson, this bright march is more suited to the 'festival' rather than the 'processional'.

The fourth section test piece, ‘An English Pastorale’ by Dean Jones, was then given an airing by the Sale band. Comprising of four sections depicting autumn, spring, summer and winter in various rural settings, this music, though perhaps not overly technically demanding, has its pitfalls and nevertheless is musically pleasing to the listener.

Greenfield Band were representatives of the third section and under MD Tom Haslam those in attendance were treated to a well-rehearsed ‘Evolution, Five States of Change’ by Philip Sparke.

Comprising of five movements depicting emotional cyclic relationships between the five elements of life - meditation, anger, fear, sorrow and joy - the music evolves 'organically' with each movement evolving from the musical elements at the end of the previous one.

Delph band (Second Section), under the direction of Phil Goodwin, were the last band to perform and opened up with Eric Ball’s ‘Star Lake,’ followed by the hymn tune ‘Abide With Me’.

The band’s test piece ‘Variations on Maccabeus’ by Salvationist Kevin Norbury, followed. Based on a theme ‘See, The Conquering Hero Comes’ from Handel’s Oratorio Judas Maccabeus, the item features four varying styles. First ‘Scherzando,’ then the ‘Emotional’ core of the piece, followed by the lightness of a ‘Viennese Waltz’. The final section with its 'declamatory unisons' and an accelerando requires a lot of rehearsals by bands in order for it to sound natural.

In his final summing up David Horsfield said: “I appreciated the hard work which was put in by the bands to reach the standard exhibited. I hope my remarks are helpful to the directors and their bands in achieving satisfactory results at Blackpool on the 1 March.”

A spokesperson for Milnrow Band added: “The Boarshurst Band and Boarshurst Club must be thanked for once again organising the event and for their generous support
and sponsorship of Brass Banding in the North West.”