Brassed Off

Just watched this excelent film on TV, If you havn't seen it make sure you do, I think this film more than any other I've seen conjurs up the working backdrop to the brass band movement. These days bands are made up of people from all walks of life, gone now are the days of the pit band, or the works band where the employer, encouraged, and sponsored a Brass Band as a benifit for the workers. Maybe this is because the coal mines and factories are also gone. There are a few odd moments, like the band being in uniform for rehearsals, and instruments being cariied through teh streets without there cases, and the tenor trombone, instead of a bass, but I still think that somehow this film captures something special about teh brass band, as well as that rather sad moment in our history. Mind you if I threw myself around like the "conducter" of the band at the RAH my band would think I had either gone crazy, or was having a fit.

Brass Band Concert

Last night we played our concert, and I have to say that it mostly went well, I have to say that since the band may be reading this. No I have to say it because it's true. The overall performance was much better than I feared it could have been, if maybe not all I had dreamed it might have been. What I am surprised by is how exhausted I feel, not so much physically but mentally and emotionally. I don't know how professional conductors manage if it is like this every time. Today I have basically done nothing except watch TV, I would have had a few beers, but that's still not allowed until next Sunday. It was mentioned to me last night that many people consider Lent to finish today, on Palm Sunday others do not consider the Sundays to part of Lent, at least not for fasting purposes. For myself I think Lent stars on Ash Wednesday and finishes on Easter Sunday, and all days in between constitute part of the fast, if you are following one. I also know that this year feels harder than previous years, I hope this does not mean that I am more addicted to booze than before, it has been a stressful time for me, and my normal response to stress, involves booze and tubas, and this year I have been playing less, since I have been conducting, and adding to my stress levels - role on next Sunday. I hope to have some pictures from the concert soon, and will try to write a fuller report over the next couple of days, however there is no rest, we still have a rehearsal tomorrow as we will be out playing four times over the next few weeks. All good stuff, providing the Band with extra income, and raising our local profile.

Final Rehearsal

We have just finished the final rehearsal for Saturday's concert, I'm worried, worried that I have put too much music in the programme, worried that we haven't prepared enough, worried that some players will be sight reading on the stand, worried that I will let the band down, worried that I will get found out - look he's not a proper conductor, what's he doing there - or in other words just plain worried. I shouldn't be, every thing's been done that can be done, and there's no point in worrying about the things that can't be done. The band did well tonight almost despite me wanting to rehearse everything, I'm sure it will go well, but I can't help worrying. If I carry on like this I'll be a nervous wreck by Saturday night, but knowing what I'm like, once we get started I'll be OK and will start to enjoy the experience, in the mean time I think I shall just try a combination of trying to keep myself busy, and sleeping.

Crafty Outing

On Saturday members of the Croydon Band put on a short performance in Penge. The event was a Craft Fair (hence the odd title) at St John's Church Penge. St John's is a "proper" Church, built around 150 years ago it has nave, chancel, tower, spire, Lady Chapel, and all that sort of thing, that some of us on the more happy clappy wing of the C of E don't really recognise any more. http://www.penge-anglicans.org/ It was a good event, well attended with lots of stalls and customers, so when we played there were plenty of people listening, we even got some applause! As I say there were plenty of stalls, unfortunately for me some were selling cakes and fudge, - so there goes me being supportive of the dieters in the household! It was nice to support a local event and at the same time publicise our upcoming concert. This concert is now less than a week away and I will admit to getting nervous. At the moment I am more nervous about conducting this local concert with the brass band than I was last week playing with ASO at the Albert Hall. That is now a couple of events that we have played at where we have pulled the programme from the pieces we will be playing at the concert, we have two more rehearsals but I feel we are getting to the point of being about as prepared as we can be, music wise. We still need to sort out the catering, printing the programme and some stewards, I really don't want to get too involved in this stuff so I can concentrate on the music, but hey ho that's the way things go. So now I'm going to sit down and write a nice flattering biog of myself that makes me sound like a real musician and conductor, after all the two don't always go together!

Concert report!

Well sort of. I have been told off by one of my loyal readers for the sparsity of my posts and the lack of comment on the concerts after they have happened, I shall try to put that right now. I know many musicians can be a bit picky about the Albert Hall, I have only played there about half a dozen times and each time I get a real thrill out of being there, when you walk out the bull run onto the platform you are hot by the sheer scale of the place, this is certainly the largest hall I've played! From stage level you look up and the tiers of seats just keep on going, then you climb up the steps of the platform to the top level to sit down, then you look across to the podium and realise just the platform is larger than a lot of halls. Behind you is a choir of about 150 flanking the finest and most powerful organ in the country. You are now in my seat for last Saturday nights concert. The first half started with Shostakovitch Festive Prelude, I think this went well. We had five Brass (2 Trumpets 2 horns and a trombone) on either side of the organ a couple of levels higher than the orchestra, this gave a really good effect, although just as the piece goes into a slower pace as the climax, it feels rather strange to look around the rest of the orchestra and find that everyone else is playing - all bar the tuba - then a fff accented entry, and you realise why he was saving that last extra bit of sound to raise the excitement level just a bit further. Although this is one of my favorite pieces I think this is the first time I have played the original orchestral version rather than a band arrangement. The other Orchestral piece in the first half was the waltz Orient Express by Richard Rodney Bennett, I had not come across this at all before and I think we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The second half kicked of with the John William Fanfare for Liberty, this was the piece I was most worried about and the one I had to get the EEb out for. The tuba part starts on a high B natural A natural ending up on a top D, I was more than a little nervous about this, but got way with it, while I did have a little stumble later the overall performance was very effective. If you don't know this orchestra it is a mixture of professional musicians, semi pros, amateurs and students; the musical and instrumental standard is very high, to the degree that as a rank amateur I rely very much on the indulgence of the pros surrounding me. However unlike any other orchestra I know every one is very much working together to the same ends, there is no "points scoring" or rivalries, and there is even socialising between sections! The main thing about these concerts though is not the orchestra performance, indeed not the performance at all, this is an event that is very much about lifting Gods name, as the title of the concert says, it is all about praise. I think the event was recorded and a DVD should be out before too long, in the mean time here is a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuzLoN6COTY to one we prepared earlier!