Peter Graham's triumph over time

In this month's 'Know the Score' Peter Graham time travels back to Belle Vue in 1973 - the inspiration behind his set test at this year’s British Open Championship - The Triumph of Time

I made my first trip to the British Open Brass Band Championships at the age of 14. Together with my father, brother and a family friend, we drove down to Belle Vue, Manchester, from Scotland in the very early hours one September Saturday morning, with an increasing sense of anticipation. I still remember the atmosphere in the King’s Hall - a gladiatorial arena, if ever there was one. It seemed to me you needed nerves of steel to play there. Any slips on an individual’s part and the whole place would reverberate with a sharp intake of breath. We sat on the benches near the top watching through a haze of cigar smoke. In subsequent years, when my mother and sister joined us, we would pack a picnic, lay it out on the bench and enjoy it as the action unfolded. When a band that was unknown to us came on stage, my brother and I would head off to the trade stands (and there seemed to be hundreds of them). If we saw any of our brass-playing heroes, we would badger them for autographs.

The test-piece that first year was The Accursed Huntsman (Franck, arranged by Siebert) - a dark and atmospheric symphonic poem, which seemed a perfect fit to the environment. The following year was even better, Gilbert Vinter's wonderfully evocative James Cook Circumnavigator. This shone a spotlight on a number of soloists, as well as contained memorable themes that were hummed and whistled around the Belle Vue complex…

For the rest of this fascinating article by Peter Graham, including the composer's insight to this year's British Open test-piece subscribe to this month’s BBW…