Land o' Burns 2015 contest results
THE Whitburn Band has continued its successful contesting season with victory at the Land o' Burns competition in Troon.
Conducted by John Boax, Whitburn took the honours at the event in Troon Concert Hall on Saturday, June 20 in a field of 12 bands from championship to third section. It followed victory at the Scottish Championships, the West Lothian Festival of Brass and the Scottish Open in November 2014, a domestic clean-sweep dating back to last year's win at Land o' Burns.
Whitburn opened its programme with Paul Lovatt-Cooper's Enter the Galaxies, a broad, dark sound giving way to terrific solo contributions from Michael Fleming on tenor horn and principal cornet player, Lloyd Griffin. Mark James and Lloyd Griffin impressed in trumpet duet Jealousy before a collective groove took hold in Mikhail Alperin's Unisons; a fluidity to the music, punctuated by the vicious stabs found in Svein Henrik Giske's arrangement.
Providing a moment of tranquility was the understated When She Loved Me, featuring flugel player Caroline Farren delivering the work from memory. The piece was afforded the time and space to resonate with the audience in Troon Concert Hall, a lyrical quality to the sound. Matthew Hall's Nightingale Dances, meanwhile, proved to be a blockbuster ending to an engaging programme.
Pushing Whitburn all the way was close rival Co-operative Funeralcare. The Glasgow band was conducted by Andrew Duncan and opened with the glitzy A Disney Prelude. Solo cornet player Jim Hayes delighted in a teasing rendition of Cry Me A River before the Scherzo from Shostakovich's Symphony number 10. Composed in 1953, the music paints a cold and unforgiving portrait of Joseph Stalin, who had died earlier that year. In stark contrast, one of the most endearing, heart-felt performances of the day followed when Co-operative Funeralcare featured vocalist Josie Duncan in a moving arrangement of John Douglas' haunting Wild Mountain Side. The finale from Rachmaninov's third piano concerto brought Co-op's offering to a thrilling close.
Also finding favour with adjudicator Nigel Boddice was the performance from Newmilns and Galston, conducted by Alan Cameron. The Ayrshire band opted for an all-French programme, opening with Peter Graham's adaption Rameau Revisted, an arrangement of dances from the composer's keyboard collections and operas. The Prelude from Debussy's Suite Bergamasque was followed by the Pie Jesu from Fauré's Requiem, while the obligatory Disney item came in the form of Phillip Littlemore's arrangement of The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
An emotionally-charged performance of Philip Sparke's Flowerdale earned Gordon Kyle, of Kirkintilloch Kelvin, the soprano cornet award. Dunaskin Doon scooped the entertainment prize for an engaging programme which saw several members of the band begin in the audience, taking their seats on stage after responding to the Snow White-fuelled Heigh Ho calls from MD Gary Williams. When She Loved Me was a Disney choice for three bands but Dunaskin opted to feature a vocalist, who greatly impressed while donning the appropriate attire of Jessie, the melancholic character who performs the number in Toy Story 2.
Elsewhere were performances which impressed in spells without displaying the consistency of those in the podium places - a point touched on by Nigel Boddice when he addressed the audience in Troon. "There were two fantastic performances which have been neck and neck," he explained. "As you go down the table, inconsistencies come in.
"There has been some fantastic, creative programming and that is the message I am taking away with me. To see this contest open up to all kinds of creative thinking means there are some very commendable ideas."
Entertainment adjudicator, Iain Shaw, praised competitors for their attempts to innovate, speaking of his delight at those who had really given it a go during the course of the event at a bustling, fun-filled day by the seaside.
Results
Adjudicators: Nigel Boddice MBE (music) and Iain Shaw (entertainment)
Placing | Band |Section | Points
1) Whitburn | Ch | 196
2) Co-operative Funeralcare | Ch | 195
3) Newmilns and Galston | 1st | 192
4) Kirkintilloch Kelvin | Ch | 191
5) Fishburn | Ch | 190
6) Johnstone | 1st | 189
7) Eccles Borough | 2nd | 188
8) Dunaskin Doon | 2nd | 186
9) Tullis Russell Mills | 1st | 185
10) Barrhead Burgh | 3rd | 183
11) Irvine and Dreghorn | 3rd | 182
12) Campbeltown Brass | 3rd | 180
Best 1st section band: Newmilns and Galston
Best 2nd section band: Eccles Borough
Best 3rd section band: Barrhead Burgh
Most entertaining band: Dunaskin Doon
Highest placed Ayrshire band: Newmilns and Galston
Best instrumentalist: Whitburn principal cornet
Best principal cornet: Co-operative Funeralcare
Best soprano cornet: Kirkintilloch Kelvin
Best flugel horn: Whitburn
Best horn: Whitburn
Best trombone: Co-operative Funeralcare
Best euphonium: Newmilns and Galston
Best bass section: Co-operative Funeralcare
Best percussion section: Whitburn
Note: next year's contest in Troon is on Saturday, June 18 2016 (provisional date, to be confirmed).
