Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

The Cory Band are from the Rhondda Valley and anyone who has heard them either live or on CD will know they are masters of their trade. 'Triumphant Brass' is a record of their contest triumphs during their 125th anniversary year of 2009, comprising music composed for them. "On The Shoulders Of Giants" by Peter Graham is a three-movement work paying tribute to the musical diversity of the USA, each movement reflecting particular musical legends: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra brass section in the first movement, "Fanfares2; the jazz world of Miles Davis and Tommy Dorsey in the second moment, "Elegy", with its reference to the Negro spiritual "Steal Away" as an acknowledgement of jazz's origins; and the virtuosi of the Sousa Band in the final movement, "Fantasie Brillante". "Elegy" is simply beautiful with the most tender playing and "Fantasie Brillante" is sheer sonic brilliance. "Titan's Progress" is a single-movement piece by Hermann Pallhuber and is based on a novel entitled Titan, the source of the title of Mahler's 1st symphony due to the author being a favourite of Mahler, which chronicles the transition of its hero from a passionate youth to a mature man. The piece is programmatically based on the book and consequently bears many references to Mahler's 1st symphony, both in use of obvious motifs and stylistic references such as the intrusive trumpet interruptions on the chorale section. The climactic "Fugue" is a picture of precision and clarity of playing. Being a bit of a Mahler fanatic myself, I have to say that the piece is a masterful blend of styles in its composition and is thoroughly recommended. "From Ancient Times" by Jan Van Der Roost is a complex work inspired largely by the music of the Franco-Flemish school of the Renaissance period. Whilst there are no direct references, there are stylistic references to the "golden age" of the Low Countries composers such as Lassus, Ockeghem and Dufay. The sound is contemporary though, so don't expect any plain chant motets here! Intelligent composition coupled with musical direction that has clearly understood what's required to do justice to the music makes for an excellent performance. Finally, "Brass Triumphant" is a four-movement work especially written for the band's anniversary by Gareth Wood to demonstrate the band's technical wizardry. The first movement is a celebratory fanfare marking the achievements of the band with a strong, underpinning trombone melody. The second movement reflects on the early days of the band, its struggles and hard work depicted by the strident and martial trombone theme. The third movement is the centrepiece of the work, subtitled "Mist In the Afan Forest", with the slow, warm euphonium opening theme paying homage to Welsh folk melody. The finale is pure showpiece - described in the insert notes as a rollercoaster ride that takes us to the very edge of band technique. All this adds up to a CD that is as good as brass band music gets.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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