Milnrow Band second at Brass at the Guild

Milnrow Band

Milnrow Band came second in its first contest of the year, the Championship Section of Brass at the Guild, in Preston on Sunday.

The adjudicator also awarded the Best Soloist prize to Milnrow guest Principal Cornet Iain Culross.

The band interrupted its Sunday afternoon journey to visit the band room of fellow North West Area band Blackburn and Darwen for a last rehearsal before continuing on to Preston and taking to the contest stage.

The order of play had been 'pre-drawn' and Milnrow was to play at number six out of nine bands in the section

The first band 'Blidworth Welfare' from the Midlands commenced its offering of the test piece 'Pageantry', which was written by Herbert Howells as a commission for John Henry Iles in 1934.

Five of the bands to follow, 'Easington Colliery' (Durham Area), 'Thoresby Colliery'(Midlands), and three Yorkshire bands 'Hatfield', 'Hepworth' and 'City of Bradford' were relatively unknown quantities.

Two bands from the North West Area are well known to Milnrow, 'Longridge' and 'Wingates' being regular rivals in the North West contesting arena.

Under the baton of deputy conductor Matthew Brown, Milnrow band made an excellent start to 'King's Herald', the whole band settling in and obviously well rehearsed, giving the Herald due pomp with regard to the timing, technique and sounds required.

Milnrow band is known for its ability to provide lovely contrasts of 'light and shade'
with excellent finesse of tone and depth between 'pp' and 'f', 'ff' and above. The sympathy and warmth of these abilities were shown in the bands' rendition of 'Cortege'.

In the final movement 'Jousts', the band exhibited its prowess in providing big and full sounds without distortion, allied to all around finger agility this led to a grand finale to a good performance, after which it was said, 'it will take a good one to beat that'.

That remark proved to be correct as adjudicator Michael Fowles placed Milnrow second
behind 'that good one' 'Hatfield'.

Ken Watts, Milnrow Band President said: “Milnrow band members and supporters are very pleased with another fine result and the morale booster of coming first of the three North West Area bands on the day with 'Wingates' achieving (third) and 'Longridge' (fourth).”