Fewer people have had the impact on the brass band scene as Howard Snell. His vast experience as player, conductor, arranger and transcriber, both in bands and the wider orchestral field, mark him out as someone special.

   This collection is taken from recordings between 1979 and 2014 feature Desford and Foden’s Bands all conducted by Howard.

   The disc opens with his arrangement of Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and is played in an orchestral style, perfectly capturing the essence of the original. Copeland’s Hoe Down from Rodeo follows and shows Howard’s flair for arranging lighter music. Martin Winter is the cornet soloist in Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Debussy revealing the sensitivity of the arranger.

   Howard’s arrangement of Khachaturian’s Lezghinka is exiting, almost ‘gypsyesque’ in style and shows again that Howard knows what orchestral music can be successfully transferred from the original. Robert Watson is the tenor horn soloist in Pavane for a Spanish Princess of Long ago by Ravel and the same remarks about the first solo apply here.

   Howard’s setting of Sondheim’s Anyone can Whistle follows, again showing his skill at transcribing lighter musical fayre. Steven Mead is featured in Howard’s arrangement of ‘The Swan’ by Saint-Saens and is a further example of how to capture the character of the original.

   Folk Festival by Shostakovich follows, full of energy and drive – surely the best of several arrangements for band.

   The traditional tune Greensleeves is next and Howard maintains the simplicity of the melody, whilst showing his flair for scoring that adds to the finished article.

   Fantasy on Moto Perpetuo is a Snell original requiring nimble fingers from Foden’s Band. The same ensemble performs his arrangement of Bach’s Arioso. Exquisite!

   One of the two major works on the CD is ‘Respighi’s The Pines of Rome, with the four movements revealing Howard’s intimate knowledge of the original plus his immaculate scoring for brass band to bring the music to life. The second original from Howard is a euphonium solo Oration played by Glyn Williams and is a real gem of musical creativity.

The second major work is the only one not arranged or written by him but by Philip Sparke. His Year of the Dragon receives a reading of real stature always allowing the music time to ‘speak’.

   We should all be grateful that the banding world has been enhanced by this remarkable man.

Highly Recommended.

Tracks: 

1. Fanfare for the Common Man - Copland Arr: Snell
2. Hoe Down from Rodeo - Copland Arr: Snell
3. Girl with the Flaxen Hair - Debussy Arr: Snell
4. Lezghinka from Gayane  - Khachaturian Arr: Snell
5. Pavane for a Spanish Princess of Long Ago - Ravel Arr: Snell
6. Anyone Can Whistle - Sondheim Arr: Snell
7. The Swan - Saint-Saens Arr: Snell
8. Folk Festival - Shostakovich Arr: Snell
9. Greensleeves - Traditional Arr: Snell
10. Fantasy on Moto Perpetuo - Howard Snell
11. Arioso Bach Arr: Snell
12. The Pines of Rome - Respighi Arr: Snell
       i) The Pines of the Villa Borghese
      ii) The Pines close to a Catacomb
     iii) The Pines of the Giancarlo
     iv) The Pines of the Appian Way
16. Oration - Howard Snell
17. The Year of the Dragon - Philip Sparke