This year’s conducting competition semi-final test pieces have been announced by the Brass Band Conductors’ Association (BBCA). They will be used to test the musical interpretation and baton dexterity of the 10 competition semi-finalists on 15 June at Eccles Town Hall.
The semi-finalists will have the opportunity to earn their place in the final by rehearsing the championship Hammonds Band on a section of one of the following:
‘Resurgam’ by Eric Ball or ‘Rhythm of Light’ by Liz Lane.
Composed in 1950 by Salvationist Eric Ball, Resurgam (‘I will rise again’) is arguably one of the finest, well-known and most moving brass band test pieces to have ever been written.
The second piece ‘Rhythm of Light’ was composed by Liz Lane in 2020/21. The piece is a suite of 4 movements, entitled ‘Landscape’, ‘Shadow cast by the sun’, ‘Pavan and Galliard’ and ‘Rhythm and dance and everything’, and celebrates the life and work of sculptor Barbara Hepworth. Liz Lane’s music has been lauded as 'creatively brilliant' by 4barsrest.com.
Adjudicators Sarah Groarke-Booth and Morgan Griffiths will select 5 finalists to go on to rehearse and conduct the Eccles Borough Band in a concert item to be performed in the evening’s Gala Concert. BBCA’s Mareika Gray will conduct Eccles in the rest of the concert prior to the announcement of the winners.
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