Brass Band Podcast

In this first episode of a new decade, and just for you, Frank is going through the flames, he drops in on a certain lady called Ruby, on the bright side we can all enjoy one of the loveliest trombone sounds you’ll ever hear. There’s a bit of tradition of course, like starting the new year off in Scotland plus Frank features 4 of the current crop of great soloists.

We’re off to the races, to the Deep South and heading north of the border down the Highland way.  Frank recalls the long lamented Royal Doulton Band and Paul Muff plays a little gem of a solo with Brass Band Burgermusik Luzern. Our next Episode is an hour of brilliant brass music to boil the sprouts to, take with you wherever you’re heading or simply sit down and enjoy.

Whether you’re doing some last-minute wrapping, preparing the sprouts or jetting off on a festive holiday this hour of brilliant brass music is just the thing to have with you.  Frank recalls conducting Sleigh Bells and Brass, a Brass Band of Battle Creek CD which has the band at the top of its game. We have two classic arrangements from The International Staff Band of the Salvation Army and The North Carolina Brass Band unwrap a musical adaptation of the famous poem A Visit from Santa better known to us as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Matt Ford and Fodens go carolling and Manger Mussikklag provide that quite moment of contemplation in their gorgeous recording of O Magnum Mysterium.  It’s the best hour of brass music you’ll find anywhere this Christmas.

Top C’s and Tiara’s   There is a great tradition of the brass band playing arrangements of music from the opera house, and many a music lover, including people like Frank himself, got their first experience of the music from playing it in a band.  Of course, not all opera works in arrangements for band especially some of the more contemporary works but this episode if full of what can happen when it does. There are famous arias, full blooded choruses and the powerful sounds of music which has become more famous than the opera it’s taken from.

Brass in Concert is one of the blue ribband events in the UK brass calendar. Some of the best bands in the country are regularly joined by some brilliant visitors from both Europe and the USA.  It takes place in the opulent surrounding of the Sage Gateshead now having moved from its sports hall original home.  Frank has been intimately involved throughout its history and he recalls some of his best memories along with prize winning music and performances.

Siddis is one of the great entertainment events in the band world.  With competitions in several sections over the weekend it’s a real test of a bands programme building ingenuity and technical skill. Frank features some winning performances and recalls some highlights of his times there.  He also dips into the latest recording by Black Dyke and guides us through one of the most popular test pieces of all-time pieces Philip Wilby’s Paganini Variations, a piece that he conducted to Open Championships victory with Grimethorpe. The whole of the Siddis competition will be available to live stream on brasspass.tv

Rhapsody in Brass by Dean Goffin was written for the British Open Brass Band Championships 70 years ago and it’s the first piece in Frank’s new feature celebrating significant band pieces which have really impressed and moved him over the years. Equally underplayed these days but heard here is A Country scene by Goff Richards and the Dawn of Freedom March which was recorded back in the 1970’s by the successful and fondly remembered Mirrlees Band. In the next Episode Frank talks Siddis which is almost on us again and will be available to stream live on brasspass.tv.      

Frank thinks that Wilfred Heaton is one of the most innovative and exciting writers for brass band of the last century, and can’t think why his brilliance was not recognised and nurtured at the time.  He even signed one of his masterpieces in the name of Paul Krask; it was never performed. Hear how Howard Snell brought Heaton’s wonderful Partita for band to its rightful place in the banding repertoire.  We also have an early warning of ghosts and spooks and take this opportunity to celebrate the conferring by Huddersfield University of an Honorary Doctorate of Music on one of our greatest cornet players and educators; Philip McCann.

Frank celebrates the talents of Richard Scott, one of our most respected and popular recording engineers who sadly died a few weeks ago. Let’s enjoy these wonderful recordings which demonstrate how, with his peerless skill, sensitivity and musicality, Richard encouraged and captured some of the very best  music making of his generation.

Frank has the final episode in his summer series highlighting the various places that the brass band gets much of its repertoire from. This one is all about arrangements of, for want of a better term, classical music.  There’s everything from music originally for solo flute to several parts of a Wagner opera woven together by Howard Snell creating one of the all-time master pieces of band music along the way. There are some really famous tunes used as just a starting point for new music or how about the brilliance of Liszt’s piano writing brought to the band world by Roy Newsome.  It’s a rich seam of music to mine and of course Frank accompanies the music with his own personal memories and anecdotes gained from a life time in music. In his next episode (36) Frank has music recorded by one of our most talented and respected engineers Richard Scott who has sadly just lost his brave battle with cancer.

The second of 3 special episodes delving into the world of Brass Band crossover music sees Frank venture into the tricky territory of brass bands and jazz with some great crossover tracks and some stunning arrangements.  Is it brass band jazz if you just put a great soloists in front of the traditional lineup? Is it more satisfying to have a jazz arrangement for the whole band or is it best to make room for soloist already in the band? Duke Ellington said that too much talk just ‘stinks up the place’ so why not just listen and enjoy all of the above. 

As we hopefully enjoy some long hot summer days Frank gives us the first of 2 episodes delving into the world of Brass Band crossover music. Bands have always played arrangements of ‘the music of the day’ which means for the last 30 years or so a great deal of ‘rock and pop’.  Not all bands are totally happy with the style which is when they rely on the skill of arrangers such as Barry Forgie, Philip Harper, Michael Antrobus and Alan Fernie to weave some musical magic around the tunes. So we have some Fat Bottomed Girls, we get Faith, we go All Night Long with Lionel Ritchie and Frank even features something by legends of the rock arena The Verve. And if you haven’t heard this particular arrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s Get Back well as they used to say stay tuned! It’s just about as far away from the Cavern as you can get… Next up in Episode 34 Frank venture into the much trickier territory of brass bands and jazz with some great crossover tracks and stunning arrangements of tunes that have become jazz

Here we have some truly great Euphonium playing from Glen Van Looy.  One of the pioneering soprano cornet players Brian Evans is joined by another legend Peter Roberts in musical combat and is there any trombone playing sweeter than that of the Danish star Jesper Juul?  Well judge for yourself as all the above combine with new recordings from Black Dyke, our own first CD Best of Brass, and a new Grand Contest March The Whale by Composer and Publisher Howard Lorriman. For Episode 33 we go all pop but it’s not quite what you’d expect, it’ll be available from August 14th, don’t miss it!

As we contemplate that delicious period of relative quiet and holidays before we plunge headlong into the autumn season of competition, here are some great tunes plus all the usual and unique Frank Renton insights into the music and the players. We hear a track from the first brasspass.tv cd release featuring recordings made at our own In Concert Series Best of Brass. There are also two brilliant cornet players bringing the house down at the Royal Albert Hall. David Thornton takes us into the world of the sleuth, and Frank recalls one of his favourite composers the much underrated Bryan Kelly whose music he championed when he started to regularly conduct brass bands.

Frank features one of the central pieces of 20th century band music; confesses that he finds dedicating a piece of music to the opening of a Finicula railway baffling but loves the piece, revisits the excellent new album by Katrina Marzella  and enjoys a beautiful Euphonium solo played by the talented Tormond Flaten.

Brass Band Blechklang take us on a Perilous Nordic Journey and it’s high time we heard a movement from the  Symphonic Suite for Brass by Eric Ball, a piece which Frank thinks is one of the best ever written for band . Featured also is a new track from a favourite band, we get a chance to revisit the story of a band that was on our UK TV screens for weeks on end and enjoy some updated 17th Century by Purcell who Philip Wilby called the first British composer of genius. We also hear new music by Philip himself on the latest Cd from Black Dyke called Pilgrim’s Progress.

A mix of new and classic recordings as Frank plays something oh so English from Welsh legends Cory. Baritone horn star Katrina Marzella is at the forefront of creating new repertoire for her instrument and her latest solo CD which includes this brand-new Concerto. Whit Friday is previewed with a rare performance of the Rimmer Arabian March played by the Harrogate Band and Mark Walters gets to reprise his masterful Concerto de Aranjuez.

David Thornton is rapidly becoming one of the most influential figures in the development of the brass band and its young musicians.  Frank got him on the business side of a Brasspass.tv microphone between their rehearsal and concert in Stoller Hall as they were preparing for that afternoon’s performance of a favourite piece of both soloist and conductor.  As conductor of Brighouse and Rastrick, Head of Brass Band Studies at RNCM,  brass teacher at Chet’s plus a flourishing solo career, David has his finger firmly on the brass band pulse.  This is a conversation not to be missed and the performance of the Horovitz Euphonium Concerto is available to download from our website!

Frank Renton celebrates the first anniversary of his show with highlights from the many national and international competitions and unique events that BrassPass.tv have streamed over the last 12 months, and we’ve been to some great places together. So, enjoy again the winning performance of our Young Brass Award winner Siobhan Bates, expect the unexpected from SIDDIS, experience the uniqueness of a wet Whit Friday and listen to some of the finest bands we have in our own Best of Brass concert series including Cory, Black Dyke and Brighouse and Rastrick.

It’s time for a little stargazing. On board for the journey are Cory, Black Dyke, Manger Mussikklag and the ever-brilliant Philip Cobb as we swirl around a spiral galaxy, do a spot of planet hoping and come to rest by the light of the moon. Composer Carl Davies arrived in the UK in 1961 and just forgot to go home giving us his view of the Galaxies which, as arranged by Ray Farr, is as close as we’ve come to an original work for band from his inspired pen. And just when we thought all was well, the wind that folklore tells us devasted everything in heaven and earth blows us out as a finale.