About half a lifetime ago I received one of the best musical
upbringings I can imagine in the South Wales area. A considerable
investment was made in me. After proving myself as a rising star
on the recorder I was bought a flute, provided for years with
a procession of peripatetic teachers, introduced to the joys
of ensemble and orchestral playing from Saturday morning Wind
Band, through the South Gwent and Gwent Youth Orchestras and
up to the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, conducted at the
time by Arthur Davison and coached by, among others, a whole
bunch of his mates from the New Philharmonia Orchestra. Provided
with financial support through my entire time at the Royal Academy
of Music and including my first year at the Royal Conservatoire
in The Hague, I have nothing but gratitude for the musical culture
of Wales, and still consider it my spiritual home in that regard.
So, when this new CD from the Greater Gwent Your Brass Band (GGYBB)
turned up on our list of review discs, I leapt at the chance
to hear how things were going ‘back home’.
The brass players in our youth orchestra were always considered
more ‘real’ as musicians than the rest of us softies.
Many of them travelled intrepid distances, down from the valleys,
the first to become snowed in whenever the weather turned really
bad but always a rock upon which you could build a decent orchestral
sound. I was never really involved in the brass band world as
a flute player, but remember the sense of team spirit and humour
among those players, and will never forget when they once during
a rehearsal collectively set off on the ‘Fanfare for the
Common Man’ a semitone lower than written. The conductor,
more savvy than they might have hoped, soon stopped proceedings
with a wry smile. “You must think I’m dull” was
his immortal response, but it was only when they re-started in
the correct key that most of the rest of us realised what was
going on.
This excellent CD coincides with the GGYBB’s 50
th anniversary
celebrations in 2010, and is a real showcase for a fine crowd
of musicians. The programme is a fairly mixed bag of original
works and arrangements, but is a well thought through mixture
of the rousing and the subtly moving. The title work,
Kingdom
of Dragons is of course a central element. Written as a commission
for the band, the single movement piece has four sections which
each represent an area of the county of Gwent, ranging from the
pageantry associated with ancient castles, the traditions of
mining and industry, the sport of Rugby, and a fugal finale connected
with my home town of Newport. This is a spectacular work which
must be as much fun to play as it is to hear, and I am genuinely
impressed by the technical abilities of the players in negotiating
its demands. There are some lovely touches which show the composers’ feeling
for the brass band in all its variety, its full range of sonorities
- from some fantastic rude low noises introducing a railway ride,
superbly illustrative percussion, some delightful little musical
quotes and references, and a genuinely moving slow movement.
You might imagine that the rest of the programme would be fillers
and padding, but on a CD of nearly 70 minutes little could be
further from the truth. There are surprisingly few traditional
tear-jerkers,
All Though the Night being the only one
really to fall into this category. John Rutter’s
A Gaelic
Blessing is another gentle melody, and Philip Sparke’s
Suo-Gân from
his
Celtic Suite is another beautifully expressive piece
in which the well modulated tones of this band sing out at their
best. Jazz is nicely represented in a swinging arrangement of
Neal Hefti’s
Cute, made famous as a Count Basie
standard, and Duke Ellington’s evergreen
Caravan,
sounding here a bit like a 1970s TV theme, and with a fine trombone
solo from Ian Perry. Other notable contributions are
Zulu:
The Battle at Rorke’s Drift given a dramatic rendering,
and narrated with creditable directness by Matthew Routley. Another
highly effective film theme is Ron Goodwin’s irrepressible
633
Squadron. Freddy Mercury transfers very nicely to the Welsh
idiom in
Don’t Stop Me Now, and the programme is
wound up with a substantial piece from Peter Graham,
Renaissance.
This work appropriately salutes the Salvation Army contribution
to this CD’s production and distribution, weaving themes
by Major Joy Webb into a piece which rounds off a fine programme
in suitably optimistic and uplifting style.
Yes, this is a youth band, and there are a few moments where
ensemble and intonation are a wee bit off, but I have to say
I have been truly taken aback by the high standards on this disc.
The recording is very good indeed, and detailed enough to expose
every fault in the performance - something which makes the excellent
final results all the more impressive. The presentation is highly
professional, with a full list of players, decent notes and a
picture disc finish for the CD. Looking at the booklet photos
I would say this has been made in St. David’s Hall, Cardiff,
but I may be wrong, I seem to remember the seats were green where
they are red in the pictures. Hearing this has restored my faith
in the fine musical traditions of Wales and my home county of
Monmouthshire/Gwent, and long may this powerhouse of UK talent
production remain in full flow.
Dominy Clements
Matthew Routley (narrator)* 
