Q&A with Stephen Roberts

BBW Editor, David Childs catches up with the man behind March's 'CD of the Month' - ARABIAN NIGHTS - The music of Stephen Roberts, featuring Black Dyke Band conducted by Nicholas Childs.

DC: Congratulations on another fantastic disc Stephen! Having recorded your successful 'Portrait' CD with Foden's in 2012, how did you find working with Black Dyke on this release?

SR: Both bands are an absolute pleasure to work with. The Fodens CD was done in association with Difem who selected a lot of the repertoire. We recorded the material in just one day and I conducted the sessions. It is a remarkable testament to the stamina and musicality of the players to get so much done in a single day. My lip had gone and I was only conducting!!  The Black Dyke CD was done over a longer period and, of course, features two difficult test pieces. I went up and did some work with the band and Nick did a fantastic job taking on my ideas and preferences for tempos etc. I also did a couple of new arrangements with the players in mind. There is a lovely atmosphere in the band room - the band has a great sense of camaraderie and is very welcoming.

DC: The track list is quite eclectic with classically inspired test-pieces providing substantial book-ends. Having composed and arranged so much for brass band over the years, what influenced your repertoire choices here?

SR: Nick and I discussed the repertoire. I was glad of the help because, as you say, I have written so much for band and it was impossible for me to choose! Generally speaking the pieces are a mixture of concert items, in a cross section of styles. I wanted so feature some of the many soloists in the band too and one of the pieces Chorale & Fanfares, is adapted from my suite for brass quintet and band, originally written for the Fine Arts Brass. Katrina Marzella and Gary Curtin do spectacular versions of the Irish folk arrangements - it is a real treat to hear these pieces done with such musicianship and technical control. But then, of course, the whole band is so richly endowed with talent.

DC: In the excellent booklet notes accompanying this disc, we learn that you first heard a brass band in 1977 at the British Open. Almost 40 years on, do you feel bands have developed in any way?

SR: I think bands, like brass players in general, have developed in certain ways since 1977, but in other ways are just the same. The very best players of all ages have similar qualities that are timeless. Certainly the technical expectations have expanded and upper registers, like the high jump bar, seem to rise and rise. I suppose bore size has increased too, and perhaps the variety of vibrato that partly reflects the widening repertoire . One vital unifying factor down the years is the fact that the brass band has a consistent instrumentation. It doesn’t change like a concert band or even an orchestra. Aside from percussion it remains the same and so direct comparisons can be made through historical recordings. I still have my 78s of the St. Hilda’s band and they sound pretty damned good. I play them on my 78 player which has an opening and closing door for volume control. I like to keep up with technology…

DC: I recently had the pleasure of working on your euphonium concerto. Do you have any further new compositions on the horizon?

SR: Yes, I am always working on something; it’s a sort of compulsion with me to write music. I have been doing a series of pieces for an orchestra in the USA and have also been busy with the ten-piece Birmingham Symphonic Brass, which I direct. They are doing the premiere of my Sonatina For Brass in March at the University of Birmingham. I have been meaning to write a serious piece for brass band for a while now, which is in my head, but I need to find the time to get it done. My wish is to write something unfettered by any commissioning strictures and I hope to finish it this year, so “watch this space”, as they say.

To read a full review of the ARABIAN NIGHTS disc click here. To read more recording related Q&A's like this one subscribe to Brass Band World here.
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