Composer marks EU departure
IN 1973 Edward Gregson, the very well known composer who has written many works for brass bands, wrote a piece of music called Fanfare for Europe when Britain joined Europe.
He has now composed a piece to mark our leaving the EU in which he uses Beethoven’s Ode to Joy which is the EU anthem and Land of Hope and Glory along with Jerusalem.
He said the work was “not too joyful and not too sad” and “I hope that it makes the point that we will remain friends and still have important relationships with our colleagues across the water”
THIS coming weekend – Saturday, February 15 – sees the 23rd Welsh Open Brass Band Entertainment Championships taking place at the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl.
There are now 10 competing bands as Pontardulais has just withdwawn, and each band is required to present a musical programme which should be appreciated by the general public as well as brass band followers.
The first band to play will be on stage at 12noon.
There are prizes galore on offer, particularly a £1,000 1st prize, £500 for 2nd and £300 for 3rd.
There’s also £300 to be won for best Entertaining band and another £300 for the best First Section band not in the prizes.
There are also trophies for Best Soloist, Best Cornet Player, Best Soprano Player, Best Horn Section and Best Percussion Section.
Past winners of the CIWSO Challenge Cup since 2010 are Tredegar Town in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 but they have not competed at the Welsh Open since 2013.
Tongwynlais Temperance were 2014 winners, Burry Port Town won in 2015, and Filton Concert won in 2016 – being the first English band to win it since 2002 when it was won by Flowers Band.
Tongwynlais won again in 2017 and the last two years have seen Filton Concert dominate proceedings and this year they will achieve a wins!
The adjudicator for this year’s Welsh Open is Paul Holland which is somehow quite fitting, as Paul was the winning conductor with the Flowers Band back in 2002.
Paul is very well known in South Wales as he conducted Newbridge Celynen and took them from Fourth Section up to Championship Section before leaving to conduct the Gloucester Band, Flowers.
I am particularly looking forward to Saturday as I have been asked to select the most entertaining band.
Meanwhile, all Welsh bands are busy rehearsing for the forthcoming Welsh Regional Qualifying Contest for the Finals of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.
On Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1 Swansea University will play host to 40 bands all competing to represent Wales in the Autumn.
The bands involved on the Saturday are: be trying hat-trick to of
Deiniolen, Tylorstown, Pontardulais, Lewis Merthyr, Newport Borough, Parc & Dare, BTM, and Llanrug.
Buckley, Ammanford, MidRhondda,Abergavenny, Ifton Colliery, Markham & District, Taff Vale, Penclawdd, Newtown, Abertillery and Crwbin.
Usk, Briton Ferry, Beaumaris, Blaenavon, Gwaun Cae Gurwen, Ynyshir, Melingriffith 2, Rhyl Silver, Upper Rhondda, RAF St Athan and Severn Tunnel.
The bands involved on Sunday are:
Buckley, Crosskeys Silver, Cwmtawe, Newbridge Celynen, Northop, Oakdale Silver, Ogmore Valley Silver and Royal Oakeley Silver.
City of
Cardiff (Melingriffith), Cory, Ebbw Valley, Llwydcoed, Northop, Tongwynlais Temperance and Tredegar Town who are the current Welsh Champions.
The best two bands in each section will be invited to represent Wales at the National Championships.
Sections One, Two, Three and Four will play at the Centaur Hall, Cheltenham Racecourse on Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27.
The Championship Section will be sending three bands to represent Wales at the Finals because Cory won the British Championships in 2019 and receives an automatic invitation to take part in the 2020 finals.
Two other bands will still be able to qualify hence there being three bands for the Finals which will take place in the Royal Albert Hall, London on October 10.
A CONTEST that has been going since 1912 always attracts bands from all over the UK, but this year the Bugle Contest welcomes for the very first time an American band from Minnesota, the Lake Wobegone Brass Band.
The contest takes place on June 20, in the Molinnis Park in the open air with a temporary stage and cover just outside the village of Bugle, Cornwall.
The competing bands march from the village centre to the park.
The marching starts at 10am and the contest starts at 11am.
This year the adjudicator is the Principal Cornet player of Cory Band, Tom Hutchinson.