Concert: NYBBGB
400 Hall, Repton School3 August 2018
High energy and talent from NYBBGB
National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain
400 Hall, Repton School
Artist Director: Bramwell Tovey
Guest Conductor: Dudley Bright
Euphonium Soloist: David Childs
3 August 2018
Following the early departure of Artistic Director Bramwell Tovey, Dudley Bright led the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain’s (NYBBGB) summer course, which culminated in a concert constructed largely of pairs of musical works written by some of the brass band movement’s most notable composers, and included a mixture of classic and contemporary repertoire.
Following the customary rendition of the anthem, the concert began in earnest with A Breathless Alleluia by Philip Wilby, performed with high-energy and wonderfully showcasing the talented young musicians on stage. Next came a real powerhouse performance of Hungarian March by Berlioz.
Guest Soloist, David Childs, then performed music written for him by fellow NYBBGB alumni, Jonathan Bates - the three-movement Stratos Concerto. The contemporary nature of this music engaged the audience, which was wowed by the many stratospheric high notes and devilish passages delivered flawlessly by the soloist. There were sweet sounds too, in particular the chorale-style passages that made use of the band’s voices to accompany the beautiful sounds of the euphonium, before the high energy returned for a fiendish cadenza leading to a grand finale, justifiably drawing rapturous applause from the audience.
Three emotive works concluded the first-half: Gilbert Vinter’s Relaxation from Salute to Youth; Berlioz’s The Shepherds’ Farewell and Ray Steadman-Allen’s The Lord is King, featuring some wonderful ensemble playing and beautiful sounds from the talented principal players.
The second-half opened with the march, Chalk Farm No. 2 by Edward Gregson, who was in the audience, before David Childs returned for Zigeunerweisen by Pablo Sarasate. The essence of this gypsy air, originally written for violin, was masterfully brought to life by the soloist and band in an extremely expressive performance. The final solo contribution was a gorgeous performance of Evelyn Glennie’s A Little Prayer, arranged for David by his father and NYBBGB Chairman, Dr. Robert Childs. This piece showcased some of the band’s individual members beautifully, as well as treated the audience to a master class in slow melody playing by the soloist.
Music of The Salvation Army featured again with Ray Steadman-Allen’s Lord of the Sea, followed by Philip Wilby’s Wondrous Cross - the opening demonstrating the talents of principal cornet, Thomas Nielsen. The young players excelled in the final programmed piece, Edward Gregson’s Dances and Arias, hallmarked by terrific solos from many principal players - Thomas Nielsen, Sebastian Williman, Ellie Joy, Zoë Wright and a trio of euphonium players. The concert closed with two welcome encores; The Cossack march, including the traditional sung final section and the hymn, The Day Thou Gavest, performed with a great sense of emotion.
VICTORIA KENNEDY
Learn more about the NYBBGB here
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