Scottish Open Championship
29 November 2008
St Magnus
Kenneth Downie (2004)
Conducted by Alan Morrison
Adjudicator: Chris Wormold
A very loud and safe opening in soloists - many slurs too? Nice balance of full tutti and all tuning secure at this volume. All moves well to B.
B itself is very well shaped if not without blemish as you know. Again, all moves very well through to F which is not quite together. Some excellent sounds after F but Soprano/Upper Cornets very sharp in bars 89-90.
All builds well through to H. The chord before never really settles and the Horn note is getting noticeably sharper as it is brought to a close.
I - is very effective and some excellent techniques around the stand. Some very fine Percussion work here too, tuned and unpitched. Bravo Soprano at O - excellent and just right.
Superb Euphonium quasi-cadenza into P, really quality playing. Slight slip in Trombone bar 229.
Excellent Solo Cornet 4th bar of P also. All of this is so good. Slight Trombone blemish again in bar243, letter Q.
Well played Bb Bass into R. Letter R is slightly scrappy and untidy and falls short of what 2 or 3 Bands have managed here today. All recovers well into U, and V is well handled.
Good Soprano after W but very flat on the held B.
X works well and the octaves are well held.
Z is very dramatic and exciting. Excellent close, some wonderful clarity of detail - interesting pedalling in Basses at CC - I wonder what Mr Downie thinks? Fabulous close
Overall, there was so much excellence in this performance. The opening avoided the usual pitfalls by the choice of dynamic and slurring so many intervals and there were one or two blemishes around the stand which other performances today avoided. Excellent Soprano work, Euphonium, Tuned Percussion and Percussion in general and this was so enjoyable.
Well played and many thanks,
Chris Wormold.
Adjudicator:
Stephen Roberts
Stephen RobertsSecure opening and classy Band sound.
B has good whimsical character with fine clarity and impressive passage work.
F is at a pleasing fluent tempo with musically shaped links from all soloists.
Occasional moments of suspect intonation do not detract.
I is at a musically satisfying tempo with commendable clarity and well judged nuances.
Euphonium cadenza is fluently executed and all soloists do well on the whole.
Well negotiated Accel into R which has 'funky' rhythmic feel.
U has a great sense of anticipatory excitement and the Band produces some really lovely colours.
Good octaves at X and thrilling climax into Z. Excellent clarity in final sections and thrilling final chord.
This was a sparkling performance with plenty of musical character and some fine solo playing. There were one or two slips here and there, but the musicality and characterisation of the individual sections was to be commended.
Stephen Roberts.
RESULTS
1. Scottish Co-op (Michael Fowles)
2. Kirkintilloch (Alan Ramsay)
3. Whitburn (Andrew Duncan)
4. Fishburn (Alan Morrison)
5. Bon Accord Silver (Morten Hansen)
6. Camborne Town (Kevin MacKenzie)
7. Kingdom Brass (Craig Anderson)
8. Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel (Richard Evans)
9. Dalmellington (Archie Hutchison)
10. Pemberton Old Wigan JJB (Mark Bentham)
11. Unison Kinneil (Andrew Berryman)
12. Bo'ness & Carriden Michael Marzella)
13. RMT Easington Colliery (John Roberts)
14. Clackmannan District (Paul Kiernan)
196
194
193
192
191
190
189
187
186
185
184
183
181
180
This site is maintained by John and Audrey Gill
All information on this site is the copyright of Fishburn Band and must not be reproduced in any form without our express permission
This page was last updated on: 2/12/2008
