There was a time in
the recent past when the idea of a "foreign"
brass band beating a British band in
competition was inconceivable. How those
times have changed. The Norwegians have
been at the forefront of European brass
banding for some time now and Eikanger-Bjørsvik
Band in particular has carved out a
formidable reputation for itself. Tormod
Flaten is Eikanger’s principal euphonium
player, this being his second solo CD
release.
If there is a sphere
in which Norway can lay claim to be
one step ahead of bands in the UK it
is in the area of programming. There
is no fear of the new. Both concerts
and recordings are constructed around
widely diverse musical genres. Grieg
and Norwegian folk and pop music can
sit comfortably alongside more adventurous
contemporary repertoire with the result
often being a real breath of fresh Norwegian
forest air.
It is a point that
Tormod Flaten demonstrates to telling
effect. A good deal of the arranging
talent is Norwegian home grown yet despite
the apparent stylistic gulf between
the works included, the journey for
the listener is never less than fascinating
and makes for an exceptionally satisfying
musical experience. Think of the old
analogy of the three course meal, a
tasty appetizer with the meat course
in the middle and a sweet to finish
and you won’t be too far from the overall
effect.
The meat in the middle
is without doubt provided by Martin
Ellerby’s substantial and hugely taxing
Euphonium Concerto. This is a big-boned
work in every sense, cast in four contrasting
movements, each of which is a tour de
force in its own right with an extended
slow movement that is clearly the emotional
heart of the work. Ellerby’s own lucid
and comprehensive programme notes on
each movement are reproduced in the
accompanying booklet and are well worth
reading prior to an initial listen.
Flaten’s enthusiasm for the work is
in evidence throughout, his playing
a model of technical excellence with
stunning clarity of articulation matched
by real artistry and musicality in the
rhapsodic slow movement. Given that
Ellerby places almost equal technical
demands on the band it would be unfair
not to mention the sterling assistance
provided by Eikanger who are quite simply
exemplary in their accompaniment. The
composer acknowledges a quote from Joseph
Horovitz’s fine Euphonium Concerto in
the third movement (Ellerby was a one
time student of Horovitz) although it’s
an entertaining task to pick up on the
other fleeting glimpses that often fly
by at speed in the remaining three movements,
amongst them Philip Sparke, Edward Gregson
and perhaps more surprisingly William
Walton, particularly in the opening
Fantasy.
The name of American
David Gillingham may not be overly familiar
to European audiences although he has
written extensively for wind ensemble
as well as various other genres. Flaten’s
choice of Gillingham’s Vintage
to open the disc could be considered
slightly surprising given the work’s
restrained opening although the shrewdness
of his decision soon comes through as
the work develops into a substantial
and melodically appealing showpiece.
This is one of three works with accompaniment
provided by the excellent Bergen Symphonic
Band under Martin Winter and once again,
Flaten is the master of the demands
placed on him. Take a listen to the
extended two and a half minute cadenza
towards the end of the work and you
will soon find yourself marvelling at
Flaten’s abilities. It’s highly enjoyable
stuff and it would be good to hear it
taken up by other master practitioners
of the instrument with brass band accompaniment.
The other most substantial
piece on offer musically is Craig Farr’s
Sonata de Camera, scored for
solo euphonium with percussion accompaniment
provided by Farr himself. Here we head
into a more adventurous contemporary
soundworld of angular lines that eventually
soften into gentler lyricism at the
heart of the piece. Farr and Flaten
are close friends and no doubt worked
closely together during the composition
of the piece. It tells in that Flaten’s
ease with the language is effortless,
the mark of a musician of true flexibility.
Whilst the remaining
pieces are more accessible in terms
of style, they are no less well chosen
as vehicles for Flaten’s musicality
and virtuosity. It is impossible to
underestimate the importance of Edvard
Grieg to the Norwegian nation with Bergen
able to lay claim to having brought
up the nation’s most famous musical
son. The touchingly appealing and well
known melody of Ved Rundarne
is a homage to the beauty of the Rondane
National Park and comes from the same
cycle of songs as the more often heard
Last Spring. Flaten’s response
to the nuances of the gentle melody
is clear, as is the quality and control
of his sustained playing. Frode Thingnæs’s
Daydream provides an excursion
into the gentler side of jazz, whilst
I Himmelen (In Heaven) is a traditional
Norwegian hymn tune treated to a sensitive
and imaginative arrangement by Svein
Giske. It is matched by euphonium playing
of equal sensitivity.
Although Tormod Flaten
describes Sigvart Dagsland’s Michelangelo
as a pop song in his booklet note it
is not perhaps what we in the UK would
categorize in that particular genre.
Indeed to do so would be to understate
the quality of the melodic invention.
Reflective yet simple in nature, this
is another piece that works well for
the lyrical side of Flaten’s personality,
contrasting dramatically with Ellerby
and Picchi that lie either side of it
on the disc. The melodic material of
the Fantaisie is thought to be the work
of Italian Picchi, although it was Simone
Mantia, one-time trombonist in Sousa’s
band, not to mention the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra, who made the piece famous
on his double-bell euphonium. It’s a
barnstormer of an Air Varié.
One can only marvel at the player Mantia
must have been if he came even close
to the skills that Tormod Flaten displays
here.
In terms of repertoire
this is one of the most intelligently
put together solo brass discs that you
are likely to hear in quite a while.
Flaten stands alongside the very best
exponents of his instrument and with
the able accompaniment of Eikanger-Bjørsvik
and Bergen Symphonic Winds the outcome
is an irresistible disc that is endlessly
fascinating in its contrasts.
Christopher Thomas
Tormod Flaten (euphonium) 
