Scottish Brass Band Championships 2020 1st Section Preview & Predictions

Scottish Brass Band Championships 2020 -Third Section

Drawn 4pm – Commences at approx. 5.00 pm on Saturday, March 7th
Adjudicators: Anne Crookston & Sandy Smith
Test Piece: Legacy by Tom Davoren

Bands
1 Bathgate Craig Anderson
2 Campbeltown Brass Stephanie Mitchell
3 Coalburn Silver Gareth Bowman
4 Dalkeith and Monktonhall James Chaimberlain
5 Granite City Brass Bruce Wallace
6 Johnstone Mark Good
7 Kingdom Brass Ian Porthouse
8 Newmains and District Michael Marzella
9 Newmilns and Galston Mark James
10 Tullis Russell Ray Sunday

Preview

The talk around the stands has been in full force: Is this test piece too easy? How can we expect First Section bands to compete and develop into Championship Section bands in waiting? Where are the technical challenges? There is an argument to be made here. An 18 minute piece of three movements with sumptuous solos, tantalising technicality and relentless rhythms against a newly commissioned 12 minute piece that I have heard some claim will wither into band library archive limbo. Certainly, if your only measuring stick is how “difficult” you think the piece is, then the argument holds weight – the gap between Championship and First Section is certainly widening throughout the UK. And yet, if you are only looking for tough pieces with lots of diddly doodly bits where your fingers threaten to catch fire on the valve tops; I would humbly submit, you have completely missed the point of Legacy by Tom Davoren and potentially the First Section as a competitive entity.

Legacy as a test piece may not tax the most skilful of individual players who are looking for instrument sponsorships, but as a band piece it completely fills the brief. A lyrical and melodic development of a theme that blossoms throughout the piece, Davoren has crafted a score that demands excellence at the very core of banding: intonation, clarity, tone quality, ensemble and dynamic precision. If we are expecting our bands to be able to compete at the very epoch of musical endeavour, then the bands that progress to that point should be able to play the basics to the very limits of perfection – not something that many bands have reached thus far into Regionals Season. And have no doubt about it, the First Section in Scotland is so closely primed, perfection should be the least that the bands are aiming for. There are bands here that can create magic and if we don’t tingle at least a few times in this contest, it will be a bad day at the office.

So, what of the bands competing at this level?

Kingdom Brass dropped to the First Section for the 2018 competition and can consider themselves somewhat unlucky not to have returned to the Championship Section already. Led by Ian Porthouse hot off the heels of his stunning Welsh Championship success with Tredegar they have to be installed as one of the favourites for this year. Always exciting to listen to, they have a 4^thand a 3^rdplace from the last two contests. They are my tip to win.

Bathgate return to the First Section after a two year stint at the top table. They are a band that is capable of beautiful music and this test piece may just suit them. They have soloists that would be envied by a number of bands in and around Scotland and, at their best, can pull off performances worthy of note. 2017 was a year that typified this: 2^ndplace to gain promotion from the First Section, 2^ndplace at the National Finals and 2^ndplace at the Band Supplies Scottish Challenge.

Johnstone Band most recently had one year at the top level of Scottish Banding, the same as their previous stint in 2014. They are consistently a top half First Section band when they play at this level, but in open contests are well known for challenging the top seeds. The steady hand of Mark Good who knows the Second and Third Sections intimately on a contest stage is a good choice for drawing the basics out. You may just see them at the upper end at results time.

Granite City and Bruce Wallace have a good thing going. At this level, they are consistently good to listen to and their no-frills attitude to playing what is on the page means you can really count on them to perform. 3^rd, 4^thand two 6^thplaces in the last four years means that you can almost guarantee that they will be solid performers. I think they will do well this year, and to be honest, if they break through the pack because they have delivered a performance of mastery on the basics, it won’t be a surprise.

Newmains and District have rocketed through the ranks in recent years and to be honest, they have yet to find their peak level. Michael Marzella knows exactly what his band can do and their corner seats are filled with players that could be playing even above this level. They were 2^ndin the Fourth Section, they won the 3^rdand most recently the 2^ndSections and have placed in the top 5 every time they have visited Cheltenham, winning once in 2018. However, they haven’t set the heather on fire at Open Contests against competition of this level and, as we all know, there is a big gap between the First and Second Sections.

Newmills and Galston are a fascinating band to listen to sometimes. You can be treated to epic performances such as their rendition of The Beacons which gained them a 3^rdplace at the Fife Contest in 2018 and they can then follow that with a 5^thplace at the Scottish Championships playing Symphony of Marches. They are sometimes a complete enigma, but there is absolutely no doubting what they can do if they are on form, beating the likes of Bon Accord, Bo’ness and Carriden, Dunaskin Doon, Kirky Kelvin and Unison Kinneil in recent contests. Definitely a dark horse for this Scottish.

Campbeltown Brass compete in their second First Section contest since their promotion in 2018, a great year for them where they won two out of the three contests they entered. One of the most far flung bands in our movement, with a huge journey to Perth, their organisation has developed some excellent players over the years from youth to senior band. Stephanie Mitchell has been at the conductor’s stand most recently and her leadership saw them score a very credible 7^thlast year. A good band, who beat a couple of bigger names to score a 2^ndplace at the most recent West of Scotland Open. Keep your ears open for these crowd pleasers.

Dalkeith and Monktonhall returned to the First Section in 2017 after a one year slide to the Second Section. Most recently, they have been fairly consistent in the middle of the pack, with an 8^thand 6^thplace in their two last outings to Perth. James Chamberlain has been a constant fixture with the band since 2006 and that intimacy can work very well. Knowing what your band can do and how to set your personnel to give you exactly what you want is a great bonus and consistently this band gives full and committed performances. A band well worth staying in to listen to.

Tullis Russell have had a couple of difficult years: they were demoted from the Championship Section in 2018 and only just survived in the First Section in 2019. They have a difficult challenge in front of them too, they rank the lowest of the bands that will compete in this year’s contest and will need a result to steer clear of another relegation. And yet, you write them off at your peril. Ray Munday has plenty of playing experience behind him and his natural musicianship should allow Tullis the opportunity to give a very musical reading of this piece.

Coalburn Silver have had somewhat of a yo-yo existence in recent years between the First and Second Sections. That is somewhat understandable, their huge organisation has a reputation for developing young musicians and you can see some of their graduates dotted around the banding scene. Players may come and go, but Gareth Bowman is another stalwart, holding the baton since 2004. In some ways, you don’t know what to expect from Coalburn, it depends just who is filling the seats, but you can’t deny the great pleasure it is to see a band bring through so many players.

Prediction: