National results, did they hear the same bands as me?

[JamesC]

:roll: I thought the level of playing at the nationals this year was not generally as high as in previous years. However, I did think there were 3 bands who would all have deserved to win, problem is Faireys wasnt one of them. Black Dyke, Tredegar and Cory in my opinion played the cleanest and most musical performances of the day. Faireys performance was full of errors and bad tuning. I cant understand how 3 experienced brass banders can all get it so wrong!

I read the 4barsrest review of the day with interest to see what they made of faireys performance, they finnish there review, and i quote "The early mistakes – and there were plenty of them – will cost them dearly. We expected so much more – this had potential but was let down on so many occasions."

How can a performace desribed so accurately be the winning performance. It annoys me that time after time the best band on the day goes home empty handed. For those who are interested my placings would have been BAYV Cory, Black Dyke, Tredegar, Brighouse, Faireys & Fodens who were also pretty poor.

I feel especially sorry for Cory who for the last two competitions have played exceptionally well and have come 6th and 3rd. Is someone afraid of letting the Best Band in Britain, in my opinion, be from Wales. Or does the Nationals really belong up north where it has always been.

I'm sorry to rant on, but Saturdays result was wrong! And Faireys topped it all off with a lack lustre performance in the Gala Concert.

There, got it off my chest.

JC

 

[johnflugel]

Saturdays result was not 'wrong' - there is no definitive opinion which is why contesting is so great. I have spoken to three or four individuals who went and all of them gave me a different winner.

People are trying to make a foolproof system, but contesting is all about opinions of all kinds of people. The composer, judges, MD's, players etc - You will never find the 'perfect' performance because everyone's views are different.

Seems alot of people tend to base there opinion on who gave the cleanest performance (i.e split count) - a very odd of way of judging who was best in my opinion.

Comments like ' oh, dyke were robbed' or 'Faireys split loads of notes' or 'cory were much better than tredegar' are not new. It's not the first time there has been an unpopular decision and it will not be the last.

It's the musical performance that matters, not the result. People often refer to Bram Tovey and Fodens who never seem to win - but they are more talked about for their performance than the actual winners.

So, ok have a little moan about the results but let's keep it in perspective.

John
Rothwell Temps

 

[James McFadyen]

You wouldn't happen to be James Curnow, the Composer, by any chance?

 

[HBB]

I was thinking that too. Freaky!

Ben

 

[Roger Thorne]

Could be Jimmy Cant

:wink:

 

[HBB]

I hate all of these shorterned names!!

My brother's called William, but likes to be called Billy.
James to JImmy
Richard to Dick!

What's up with the world!

Ben

 

[Darth_Tuba]

I hate all of these shorterned names!!

My brother's called William, but likes to be called Billy.
James to JImmy
Richard to Dick!

What's up with the world!

Ben

I don't know benjamin

 

[JamesC]

I appreciate the need for a musical interpretation in these competitions. And there is no doubt that Bram Tovey gives some of the finest musical interpretations around today, but the reason Fodens dont win is because the competitions are marked along the split note/tuning guidelines. I agree that this is a sad state of affairs, but bearing in mind the criteria that seems to be the trend then Faireys shouldnt have won that competition. i disagree that mistakes shouldnt be counted, because it is a test of the band essentially, not the conductor. The interpretation is vital, but if we are not careful the competition will become about the conductor not the band.

i would also like to say that I have had the privelage of being at many of the open rehearsals that are held around the place, especially the welsh bands, cory obviously and more recently Tredegar. The musicality that is put into these performances is sometimes astounding, and i come away from these open rehearsals thinking that the performance i have just heard will be up there with the best because of the fore thought that went into it, but i ask you this, is it the conductor or the muscian who makes the performance happen on stage? I might make that a poll. But think about it. If it was purely down to the interpretation then theoretically any band could win it with the right conductor, but "no" i hear you say, "you have to have a band who can play the music in the first place" which i tottaly agree with, and that is why tuning and acurate pitching is essential in a good peformance.

My final word on the matter is, should a performance that you feel is fantastic when listened to live but is dissapointing when listened to as a recording be any less of a fantastic performance overall?

Confused? I know I am!

I am not any of the names mentioned previously. I am James Coburn, a music graduate from London who plays percussion but is currently composing for television. I grew up in Newport and went through the Gwent Music Support Service before going to Guildhall in London.

James

P.S. Its good to see Dave Mitchell back at Cory, his presence was missed at the Open. He is a fellow Gwent boy!