Brass Band World, by Jonathan Crane

It doesn’t seem that long since I was on my way up North, to take part in the Whit Friday contest, that I stopped at Steve’s place for a coffee and we stood in his practice room and listened to a demo recording from this ‘new disc’ he was going to bring out. Great, I thought, another collection of euphonium players doing fast stuff. Only then, when Steve explained that it was all his playing, recorded with the aid of multitrack, that I realized that we were in for something very special.

We’ve come to expect a new standard for the rest of us mere mortals to attain each time Steve brings out a new recording, but this is different. This is the result of imagination with no limits or restrictions. The opening pieces from Tchaikovsky, Gabrieli and Schumann set the mood for Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor where all four parts fall in line with each other perfectly and leave you in no doubt that in the capable hands of Mike moor, the engineer, this is going to introduce classical music to the untrained, in such a way that it leaves you wanting more. The four-part harmony of Scarborough Fair brings you back down to earth with an arrangement most suitable for this instrument.

The thought of 14 euphoniums playing the Sorcerer’s Apprentice would, under normal conditions, fill the most ardent bandsman with dread. This is the longest piece at just over 11 minutes, but doesn’t take long to start impressing you with the effective use of mutes, chord structures, high notes, trills etc. This is exciting music and should to be listened to at least twice to start to appreciate the skill involved in this type of playing. The classical influence continues with Debussy’s Golliwogs Cakewalk and Clare de Lune, both arranged in 6 parts. Steve’s unique tone starts to really impress at this stage, all players can learn from the control of airflow throughout the range and extremes of dynamics without compromise of sound or clarity. Listen for the high notes, in my opinion a top ‘Z’.

Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from midsummer Nights Dream is fast and furious, and when you are playing all 8 parts, control is the name of the game. The Girl with the Flaxen Hair takes us for a relaxing stroll in order to get us ready for the Ride of the Valkyries, all 17 of them. Brilliant, I can’t wait for the first live performance. I’m sure Wagner was writing this in the mid-1850s, just waiting for the euphonium to be invented.

Something a little lighter begins the wind down, with Frankie and Johnny and then the soft and gentle arrangement of Fly Me to the Moon. This is beautiful, with lots of lifts and little flurries of excitement thrown in for good measure. To end, how about a quick Jump, Jive and Wail? - a quick blast of something from another era just to get your feet tapping with your mug of tea.

Sometimes, the use of technology can make music lose its feeling and become too perfect. Steve has taken the euphonium to a new sphere of musical appreciation and proved that you have to show perfection to make something sound as good as this. This recording is vibrant and exciting and will appeal not only to euphonium players and bandsmen alike, but also to a wider audience, some of whom may never previously heard a euphonium. The title of this recording is apt, as Steve has once again proved himself as the ‘Harry Potter’ of the euphonium.

Brass Band World, by Jonathan Crane