Brass Band Oberschwaben-Allgau (Germany)

MD: Ueli Kipfer

Recorded 2016

Released 2017

The original Palace had measured 1,851 feet (564 m) long, with an interior height of 128 feet (39 m), and was at the time the largest amount of glass ever seen in a building.

The name ‘Crystal Palace’ came from a satirical article in an 1850 edition of Punch about the forthcoming Exhibition, by playwright Douglas Jerrold. Though the building had not yet been approved, he spoke of it as ‘a palace of very crystal’, and the name stuck.

On Saturday 26 September 1936 the National Brass Band Festival was at the famous Crystal Palace. The test piece was 'Kenilworth' by (Sir) Arthur Bliss.

The results were:

1st Foden Motor Works Band MD: J.A.Greenwood

2nd Black Dyke Mills Band MD: William Halliwell

3rd Friary (Guildford) MD: J.A.Greenwood

Little did all those bands taking part and the thousands of people from around the UK who went to watch this annual brass band extravaganza. That on the 30 November, two months after the contest the Crystal Palace was destroyed by a huge fire.

On this week's show we have the test piece Kenilworth, played by the Virtuosi Brass Band of Great Britain.

Hannes Buchegger is the specialist and trail-blazer of brass band music in Austria and a renowned conductor in the European brass band scene.

He was born in Innsbruck and studied trumpet and conducting at the Tyrolean State Conservatory. In 1986, he founded the brass quintet Haller Stadtpfeifer.

During a concert tour in England, he was inspired by the local brass band scene and founded the Brass Band Fröschl Hall in 1987. With this ensemble, he was able to achieve numerous success, including winning the B-section of the European Brassband Championships four times.

For 10 years, he has been a guest conductor for the Brassband Oberösterreich and has been able to win the B-section in 2005 & 2006. Consequently, the ensemble could compete in the champions' section and sensationally won the 3^rd place of the European Championships 2010. Due to its success, the ensemble Brassband Oberösterreich has been invited to perform in Montreux, Stockholm, Bergen as well as South Africa.

Since 1987, he has been very successful in teaching young brass players. He is also a member of several juries for soloist, ensemble and brass band contest in Austria as well as Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Scotland and the Netherlands. As a result of his untiring commitment over the past 26 years, the brass band scene has been established in Austria.

The world lost one of its great musicians on 15 February 2018 when Kenneth George Smith, known as Ken or young Ken, died in Melbourne aged 88. 

Ken was skilled in many aspects of music, particularly brass music and brass bands. He was a superb cornet/trumpet player; a stylish and clever arranger; a skilled and sensitive adjudicator; a world championship winning conductor; and a willing and intelligent educationalist.

Many school children will look back on their school sports days in later years, some with happy memories and perhaps some with disappoint. ‘It’s the taking part’, you tell that to a wildly enthusiastic eight year old at the start waiting for the ‘Go’ in the sack race. They are out to do their best of course, but always with an eye on the winners prize.

Joseph John Richards (aka J.J.Richards (1878 - 1956) was born in Cwmavon, Wales. His family moved to the USA in 1882, settling in Peterson, Kansas. He began learning brass instruments at the age of ten, progressing rapidly, playing with various local bands.

At the age of nineteen he was appointed leader of the Norton-Jones Circus Band, beginning a long career as bandmaster with numerous ensembles. His first composition appeared in print in 1899, during this period he began writing marches and other works and many of his early works were first performed by the bands that he led. His career as a circus bandleader culminated with his directorship of the Ringling Bros. Circus Band from 1911 to 1918.

During the circus off-seasons, he attended Kansas State Teachers College and the American Conservatory of Music. Beginning in the early 1920s, he taught school music and directed bands in numerous Illinois towns throughout  1944.

In 1945, following the death of Herbert L. Clarke, he was appointed director of the famous Long Beach, California Municipal Band, a post he held until 1950. Subsequently, he returned to Illinois in the spring and summer to lead Mount Morris Band while wintering in Long Beach.

He died in 1956 in Long Beach. He was highly regarded by his peers. He was elected to the American Bandmasters Association in 1939 and served as its president in 1948. He composed well over one hundred works that were published.

On this week's show we celebrate the music of J.J.Richards by playing his march Midwest featured by the Illinois Brass Band .

Chris

Max Bruch (6 January 1838–2 October 1920), was a Max Bruch was a German romantic composer and conductor who wrote over 200 works, including three violin concertos the first of which has become a staple of the violin repertory.

He was born in Cologne, his early musical training under the composer and pianist Ferdinand Hiller, to whom Robert Schumann dedicated his piano concerto in A minor.

At the age of nine he wrote his first composition, a song for his mother's birthday. From then on music was his passion, and his studies were enthusiastically supported by his parents. He wrote many minor early works including motets, psalm settings, piano pieces, violin sonatas and a string quartet. Few of these early works have survived, however.

The first music theory lesson he had was in 1849 in Bonn, and it was given to him by a friend of his father.

He had a long career as a teacher, conductor and composer. At the height of his career he spent three seasons as conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society(1880–83).

He taught composition until his retirement in 1910. His is Violin Concerto No. 1, in G minor, Op. 26 (1866) is one of the most popular Romantic violin concertos.

This week we celebrate the 180th anniversary of Bruch's birth in 1838 with Kirsty Abbotts playing the second movement (adagio) from this wonderful Violin Concerto

The aeroplane now leaving from terminal one at Clifton Airport Brighouse has an unfamiliar sound about it. Mind you announcing the aeroplane was coming into land possibly at terminal one at Illingworth Airport, Halifax sounds even more unlikely. In the 1930s these were just two of the sites being put forward as potential new aerodromes in the West Riding.