HOW THE BANDS PLAYED

Wanganui Chronicle, 26 February 1947, Page 6

HOW THE BANDS PLAYED

STANDARD UP TO THE BEST AT PREVIOUS CONTESTS

(By

“Listener”)

Seme splendid performances were given bv the A grade bands last evening, when the first test for the New Zealand Brass Band: Championship was held. The test selection was an arrangement of Tschaikowsky s works by Walter Reynolds. Tschaikowsky, al Russian composer who died in 18931 at the age of 53, is one of the greater 1 Russian composers who was a con-| temporary of the “Russian Five,” but| not actually one of them. He is| widely recognised as one of the musical giants of the work’., and he is a master of orchestration. The excerpts from his major works which were played last evening represent Piano Concerto No. 1, Don Juan’s Serenade, Capriccio Italien, and the Pathetic Symphony, the composer’s final symphony. The bands performed these excerpts most creditably, and some outstanding perform-, ances were heard. The standard throughout was j equal to the standard attained at | any previous contest held in New | Zealand. The tonal quality was excellent and. ■ the conductors are to be congratu-1 lated upon careful readings of thei score. It was a night of first-class | band playing. Wellington Waterside Silver (Conductor, R. H. Fenton). —First three bare crisply played. The first subject nicely treated. Letter A, band plays very well together. Modulation into the andantino simplice treated with taste. Just a shade more movement here may have created a better atmosphere. Once again the modulation nicely treated. “Don Juan’s Serenade” is taken at a nice tempo. A good movement and a lovely bass quality- Adagio from the finale to the Pathetic Symphony very nicely I played. Band well in tune here. The i lead in to Capriccio Italien delightful-1 ly portrayed. The opening fanfare I taken a shade too fast in comparison i to the manner in w’hich it is played by standard symphonic orchestras. In I the succeeding theme the accompani-’ ment is delightfully compact. A splendid stringendo leading into the following allegro Splendid work by the baritone and euphonium. Presto taken at tip-top speed. The andantino from “Piano Album” produces some very nicely balanced chords. Allegro for the symphony spendidly attacked. First-class movement. A great performance. St. Hilda Municipal (Conductor. W L. Francis).—A very fine opening. The accompaniment appears to be a shade on the heavy side approaching letter A. Fine crisp playing concludes this movement. In the andantino the soloists and accompaniment nlay tastefully. A nice movement. “Don Juan’s Serenade”: The soloist plavs the melodic line according to the words. Good phrasing. In the adagio lamentoso a pleasant plaintive opening is portrayed. A good movement. An atmospheric lead in to Capriccio Italien which opens In a colourful manner. The accompaniment after letter K is very compact and nlcelv subdued A splendid stringeno leading into the allegro 3-4 which is taken at a steady tempo. Band very compact and a good body of tone forthcoming. Trombone cadenza splendidly played. The “Piano Album” excerpt is nicely in tune, but a shade or. the heavy side. Tn the final allegro the band produce* a splendid body of tone and giyes an inspiring finish to a very fine performance.

Wanganui Garrison (Conductor. L R. Francis).—A good solid opening and some interesting rubato introduced Into the first theme. A very good movement displaying musicianship. In the third bar of the andantino the chord was not quite together. Soloists play splendidly. “Don Juan’s Serenade": Another good movement. Finale to Pathetic Symphony was colourfully played- The fanfare preceding letter K was played fairly straight, the aeml-quavers being

clipped and not spread slightly in traditional manner. From letter M the top end of the band overlaps well. The following 3-4 could possibly afford to go a little quicker. Presto movements are well played. The bridge movement between the prestoes and the allegro vivace was tastefully | played. Very fine finale. A splendid I performance by a fine-toned band. A | cornet anticipates in the fifth bar I from the end.

Woolston Brass (Conductor, R. J. Estall). —This band uses percussion, bass drum, side drum, cymbal and tamborine, as provided in the score. A rich-toned quality and splendid ensemble work characterises the opening movement. A most musicianly performance was given of the andantino“Don Juan’s Serenade” was taken up to tempo. The band is splendidly balanced here. A beautiful chord preceded the adagio which was played in a plaintive manner and most atmospherically lamentoso. The treatment of the bass section at letter J was a sheer delight. “Capriccio Italien”: A good opening fanfare, semi-quavers given their correct value. The allargando splendidly portrayed. The intermingling of the cornets following 'letter M is very w’ell done. A fine I movement. Tamborine effect in the 3-4 allegro is atmospheric. A lovely ! trombone tone in the cadenza. The I choral in the andantino from the I “Piano Album” was delightfully hymnlike. A lovely legato movement. A i peaceful close. The finale from Pathetic Symphony, which is taken in a steady martial manner, is splendidly portrayed- A ready fine exhibition of first-class band playing. Some minor liberties taken which enhanced the atmosphere of the performance. Palmerston North Garrison (Conductor, Captain C. Pike). —Good cohesion at the start, but a little more tonal quality would improve this movement. Some crisp playing at letter B. The following andantino from the piano concerto was taken at a fairly quick pace. Inversely, “Don Juan’s Serenade” is taken on the slow side. The accompaniment to the soloist in this number is at times inclined to be too ponderous. Final bars well played. In the adagio lamenteso playing could afford to be more plaintive and a richer bod?/ of tone at letter I would have given a greater contrast to the preceding pianissimo. The fanfare opening the next movement was well played, but these bars could afford to be a little more Wagnerian. Cornet soloist plays tastefully following this. The ripieno cornet could afford to be a little stronger following letter M. The succeeding allegro is taken at a good tempo and a fine compact tone is present in the piu presto. The andante from the “Piano Album” is nicely balanced. In the finale from the “Pathetic Symphony” the band proceeds at a steady pace. Quite a good movement. A meritorious performance. Hawera Municipal (Conductor, H C. A Fox).—A broad and full of tone opening. Band playing very sweetly and nicely balanced. In the following slow movement Ihe flugel and the soprano keep well together and the band makes a careful approach to the “Don Juan Serenade,” which is taken at correct tempo and some effective rhymical treatment. Euphonium soloist plays artistically in this movement. The final chord delightfully balanced. In the third bar of the lamentoso two

instruments anticipated first beat very slightly. This movement was very colourful and the bare following the letter J were played most attractively. The fanfare heralding the “Capricco Italien” is richly played. Cornets and euphonium well together after K and nicely in tune. Band works up nicely at the stringendo to the final fanfare- The following 3-4 was very well played indeed. The trombone played with decision aneftin keeping with the atmosphere of the movement. The chordal play in the "Piano Album" excerpt is gloriously organ-like. In the following allegro vivace a splendid volume of tone is forthcoming and excellent, ensemble work. An outstanding performance for a band which is making its first appearance in the A grade after winning the B grade last year. Invercargill Civic (Conductor, A. Wills).—A noble opening. This band is using percussion. First movement is taken at the correct tempo. In the andantino the horns and baritone provide a delightfully subdued accompaniment to the soloists. This movemen. may have been more interesting if the tempo had moved along a little more. The chord preceding “Don Juan’s Serenade” was well treated by the inclusion of a quick crescendo. The serenade was taken on the steady side and should hnve gone a little quicker. The euphonium plays well. Adagio Lamentoso: This movement taken«at a nice tempo perhaps a little ‘rubato would have created a better atmosphere. Some nice close harmony chords at J. Fanfare well played. The semi-quavers before K are a shade too long. The melody is very well played in this movement and the imitation between letters M and Nis well pronounced. In the following 3-4 the side-drum work is effective. The prestoes are well compact. The prestissimo could have been taken quicker. The chordal work in the andante is effective. Some fine crisp playing in the finale. Band moving along here nicely. A very compact close. Kaikorai Brass (Conductor, H. JOsborne).—This band also » scs percussion. An exceptionally line body of tone is produced in the opening bars and the following melody is very sweetly played. A really good movement. Colourful playing. The soprano and flugel horn nicely in tune in the andantino. In the “Don Juan Serenade” the grace notes are clearly articulated. Perhaps a little more pace would have improved the character of this movement. Between F and G the horns appear to be a shade oq the heavy side. A fine rich chord precedes the lamentoso, a movement which was very well played indeed. Some delightful closing chords. The best fanfare yet, rich, together and characteristically Wagnerian in this excerpt from the Capriccio Italien. The band puts up a very fine performance indeed- The following 3is inclined to drag. A shade more legato would have improved this movement also. The prestissimo could have moved a little more, too. Trombone cadenza very well played. The andante from the “Piano Album”: The band produces a very sweet tone. A fine martial tempo is heard in the finale from the Pathetic Symphony. Fine compact playing and a rich body of tone brings the selection to a close. A very good performance indeed. One of the best for many years. Queen Alexandra (Conductor, E. D. Schnack). —Quite a solid opening. Band nicely compact and melody flows well. A good movement, even if there was a little untunefulness in the final two bars. The andantino from the piano concerto is taken at a nice pace. The lead in to the “Don Juan Seren-

ade” is effectively played, though the crescendo is anticipated. The serenade was played with a splendid tempo. The adagio from the finale io the Pathetic Symphony receives a musicianly treatment. The close harmony following letter J is very well balanced and peaceful. The fanfare introducing the Caprice is played fairly straight and the semi-quavers are too short. A little rubato here would have given more character to the opening. Band well in tune. Euphonium and cornet work well together. Balance very good between M and N. The 3-4 allegro moves with a nice liltPrestoes are well played. Trombone cadenza very good. The andante from the “Piano Album" is played very peacefully. Soprano stands out nicely here. The final allegro starts at a steady pace and gathers speed, but is played in a concise and compact manner. The top ’ornet’s manage the semi-quavere well. A Stirling performance.