Great Entry for 2014 Scottish Open
17 bands have accepted invitations to this years Scottish Open on Saturday 29th November in Perth Concert Hall, again we are grateful for the continued support from BESSON.
We are delighted to see some new entries and welcome back many returning bands this year and can confirm the following entries-
Blackburn and Darwen
Clackmannan District Band
Dalmellington Band
Fishburn
Johnstone Band
Kirkintilloch Kelvin Brass
Marsden
NASUWT Riverside Band
Rainford Band
Reg Vardy
Rothwell Temperance
The Co-operative Funeralcare Band
The Kirkintilloch Band
The Shepherd Group Brass Band
Whitburn Band
Wingate's Band
Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel Band
The adjudicators for this years contest will be - Andy Duncan, John Miller and Tom Daveron. adjudication will again be open, with the average of the three individual adjudications to determine the result.
An extensive list of percussion provided will be sent to bands nearer the time, however can we draw to your attention that the timpani WILL be in a fixed position this year. They must be placed behind the Trombone/EbBass sections of the band, that is, to the right hand side as the conductor looks at the band.
The contest is pre-drawn and the draw will take place at the SBBA Annual General Meeting in Livingston on Sunday 18th October,.
The test piece for the Scottish Open is a new work from Andrew Duncan, CANTATA. This music was commissioned and dedicated to The Foden's Band who earlier this year gave the first performance of the work.
Cantata
for Brass Band and Percussion
composed by Andrew Duncan
Commissioned and dedicated to the Foden's Band
Programme Notes by Andrew Duncan
Cantata is in three movements, with each movement expressing different moods and different emotions. The piece is composed in the tradition of what was called in the past 'absolute music', meaning that there is no story or narrative attached to the piece.
The first movement, marked Allegro barbaro 'fast and barbaric', presents an uncompromisingly, stormy scene with the start and close of the movement relaying disturbing and turbulent music. This is countered by a much slower, more reflective central section with extended solos for both solo cornet and solo euphonium. This in turn leads into a lighter section featuring the four basses, before the fast, barbaric music returns.
The second movement begins with a simple horn call using the interval of a perfect fourth. This interval (along with its inversion a perfect 5th) have great importance in this movement and are heard throughout. The main theme of the movement (and in fact of the whole work) is first heard played as a solo by the soprano cornet early in the movement. This melody precedes some dissonant fanfares played on the cornets, reminiscent of the more turbulent music from the 1st movement. These fanfares then battle it out with the horn call which becomes dominant before giving way to an extended trombone trio. This leads into a return of the main theme played quietly at first, but building into a climatic section for the full band. The coda of the second movement sees a return to the opening music along with a snippet of the rondo theme to come in the third movement.
The third movement is at first lighter in character and is a rondo, meaning that the theme heard at the beginning returns a number of times throughout the movement. Central to this movement is a short duet for solo flugel horn and solo baritone. A fugue follows which leads into a full bodied version of the main theme from the second movement which is played by the trombones at ff over a decorated accompaniment, thus recreating in a modern sense, the 'cantus firmus' idea used in 18th century Cantatas by composers such as J.S. Bach.
The piece was commissioned by the Foden's Band, to write a new work which would challenge the band both musically and technically and be suitable as a test piece for the band to play in a major competition.
In writing Cantata I have tried to use the genre of the modern brass band to express and encompass many different emotions ranging from despair to ecstasy and from rage to tenderness. My influences in writing the piece were several of my own favourite composers including Bartok, Stravinsky, Wagner, Shostakovich and in the case of the main theme, Mozart.
Performance Notes
In the 1st movement the solo cornet and solo euphonium should move to as far away from the band (stage right and stage left respectively) to play their solo parts. The solo passages are both marked 'lontano', meaning distant.
In the 3rd movement the solo flugel horn and solo baritone players should both take up solo positions standing at the front of the band facing the audience on either side of the conductor. The solo flugel playing stage right and the solo baritone stage left.
