Holst at 150. A Brass Celebration
Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934)
First Suite in E-flat, Op 28 No 1 (1909) arr. for brass band by Philip Littlemore (2024) *
Second Suite in F, Op 28 No 2 (1911) arr. for brass band by Philip Littlemore (2024) *
A Fugal Overture, Op 40 No 1 (1922) arr. for brass band by Alastair Wheeler *
Ballet Music from The Perfect Fool (1918 – 1922) arr. for brass band by Philip Littlemore (2024) *
Mr Shilktet’s Maggot (1932) arr. for brass band by Paul Hindmarsh (2024) *
A Moorside Suite (1928)
Imogen Holst (1907 – 1984)
The Unfortunate Traveller (1929) edit. Paul Hindmarsh (2024) *
The Glory of the West (1969) *
Tredegar Town Band/Ian Porthouse & Martyn Brabbins
rec. 2024, The Jack Williams VC Hall, General Office Conference Centre, The Works, Ebbw Vale, UK
*First recordings
World of Brass DOYCD435CD [74]

Brass band music by Holst? I didn’t realise he wrote any, you may say. He did, however, compose just one piece specifically for brass band, namely A Moorside Suite. You may be surprised to learn, however, the impact he had on other composers’ attitude to writing music for brass concert bands and brass bands.

My initial reaction on first hearing this CD was delight on hearing how well Holst’s music translates to the brass band medium; with arrangements by Paul Hindmarsh and Philip Littlemore this CD was always destined to be a success, involving as it does the Tredegar Town Band whose playing on the Vaughan Willams on Brass was excellent (review). Their conductor Ian Porthouse has fostered a very high level of musicianship in the band and delivers a great interpretation of Holst’s works. One item, A Moorside Suite, is under the baton of guest conductor Martyn Brabbins: this is Holst at his most communicative and engaging.

This is the latest in a series of CDs featuring the music of composers known mainly for their classical music played by brass bands: in each case these discs feature one of the world’s most well-known and capable brass bands. The Vaughan Williams on Brass CD mentioned above was released on the Albion Records label in 2022. [This year has seen, in addition to the present disc, Malcolm Arnold – Music for Brass Band with world champions, Foden’s Band, released on the Beckus label (MAF003) as well as Bliss: Works for Brass Band with the exceptional Black Dyke Band on the Chandos label (review)]. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, these composers’ symphonically-scored music lends itself well to transcription or arrangement for the brass band medium. One maybe loses some orchestral colours – but we gain the different colourings that a brass band can provide, particularly when played by musicians of the calibre of those bands listed above.

This CD is the brainchild of Chris Cope, the chairman of the Holst Society, to mark the 150^th anniversary of Gustav Holst’s birthday. It contains 6 works by Gustav Holst and 2 by his daughter, Imogen. Holst’s only original work for brass band is the ever-popular A Moorside Suite. The Unfortunate Traveller and The Glory of the West by Imogen were also written for brass band. The other pieces have been arranged for brass band by others. The two suites for military band were transcribed for brass band in the 1920s by Sydney Herbert, but these have both been given new arrangements for this release. As a result, most of the pieces are receiving their first release on CD.

The programme opens with the First Suite in E-flat which is considered one of the cornerstone masterworks in the concert band repertoire. Officially premiered in 1920 at the Royal Military School of Music, the manuscript was originally completed in 1909. Along with the subsequent Second Suite in F for Military Band, written in 1911 and premiered in 1922, the First Suite convinced many other prominent composers that serious music could be written specifically for band. Holst readily agreed to the publication of versions for brass band.

The First suite’s opening movement is a chaconne. Here, the Tredegar Band create a warm tone yet at the same time the listener can hear clear notes played with precision. The second movement is lighter in character whilst the third is an instantly recognisable swaggering march with two contrasting melodies, a marcato tune to be played loud/forcibly, and a gentler, smoothly-played melody. The March contains real foot-tapping music, full of energy and wonderfully played by the Tredegar Town Band.

The First Suite is all original Holst music, whereas that for the Second Suite in F is founded on traditional songs and dances. Both these suites are here played in new arrangements by the skilled arranger Philip Littlemore, who is known for his ability to really capture the style of an original score when arranging it for brass. His arrangements of these two suites illustrate this point well. The Second Suite is longer and more challenging for the musicians than the first.

Holst commented on the Second Suite: “as each movement is founded on the same phrase, it is requested that the suite shall be played right through without a break.” During Holst’s earlier years as a composer, he took an interest (as did many composers at the time) in folk music, and wrote many pieces based on folk tunes. Seven traditional tunes are compressed into the four movements of Holst’s suite. As if to illustrate this point, the fourth movement is called Fantasia on the Dargason, a dargason being a seventeenth century English folk tune.

The first movement begins with a jaunty march based on the Morris-dance tune Glorishears interspersed with a more gentle melody Swansea Town. It all works well, producing a very enjoyable and entertaining piece. In the second movement Holst changes the mood entirely with a tune based on the folk song I’ll love my love and then changes it again in the third with an upbeat arrangement of A blacksmith courted me. The final movement is not, in fact, based on any folk songs, but rather has two tunes from Playford’s Dancing Master of 1651. The whole of this Second Suite works wonderfully well for brass band under the masterful conducting of Ian Porthouse.

Next, we hear A Fugal Overture. I really liked the impetus and drive of this piece. Alastair Wheeler’s arrangement is excellent at maintaining the energy and spirit of Holst’s original composition. Ian Porthouse and the Tredegar Town Band do a wonderful job of building the energy and drive of the first part of the piece. Then in a quieter moment, the low brass of the band retain the tension of the piece as the energy and drive slowly build again. I may be biased but think that I prefer this brass version to any orchestral version I can think of.

The Ballet Music from The Perfect Fool is presented in an arrangement for brass band by Philip Littlemore. The opera itself was not a success, but the introductory ballet music featured here is much more often performed as a separate concert item. The music falls into the following sections: Invocation, Dance of Spirits of Earth, Dance of Spirits of Water and Dance of Spirits of Fire. The piece is often seen as reminiscent of The Planets. As I said earlier, some of the colours present in orchestral performances can be lost in a brass band rendition, but just as often those colours are substituted by a different palette of colours from a brass band. Despite Philip Litttlemore’s skilful arrangement and the faultless playing by Tredegar, I don’t feel that the brass band version played here quite compares to the original orchestral version.

The Unknown Traveller is another result of the Holst family’s interest in traditional English dance music, but this time from the pen of Imogen Holst. She decided to write a brass band piece for her final examination at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London in 1928/9. However, a piece for brass band was not acceptable to the examiners and so she arranged it for string orchestra. Imogen had to wait until February 1933 to hear the work as originally conceived, commenting to The Daily Mail that, “it has been a delight to rehearse the St Stephen’s Band. It was their performance at the Crystal Palace Festival that inspired me to write this suite, which I have dedicated to them. It is the first time, so far as I know, that a woman has conducted a brass band at a public concert”. After this performance, the score then was lost for many years until it ended up in the hands of composer John Golland. He is reported as saying that Imogen’s scoring exposes her lack of experience with what can be a tricky medium. For this performance, the piece has been edited by Paul Hindmarsh. His edition adds percussion and enhances the brass texture of the piece. Several Morris Dance tunes are introduced during the course of the four short movements, including Bonnie Green Garters, Shepherd’s Hey, The Rose and The Wind Blaws Cauld. I find the whole piece quite delightful, with its quirky twists and turns of harmony and spirited rhythms.

The Glory of the West is also by Imogen. This is a theme and seven variations written for brass band in 1969, over 30 years after The Unknown Traveller. Imogen’s development as a composer is obvious to hear in this piece. It’s a modest, lightly scored set of variations on a traditional Morris Dance tune from the Cotswolds, taken from Henry Playford’s English Dancing Master (1647). The Redbridge Youth Brass Band, who commissioned the piece, gave the first performance on 23 March 1970 at The Fairfield Halls, Croydon. As with most of her works, it was written to be within the capabilities of amateur musicians and would fit well with the repertoire of many contesting as well as non-contesting brass bands. The piece is based on a tune which is nice and easy to listen to.

The penultimate piece is by Holst père and has the unusual title Mr Shilkret’s Maggot. Nathaniel Shilkret, was the RCA Victor company’s director of light music, who commissioned it for his New York-based jazz radio orchestra. In this context, a maggot is a seventeenth century term meaning whim. Although Mr Shilkret praised the piece, he never actually played it. It was revised by Imogen in 1967 and entitled Capriccio. Now, I may be taking the word jazz too literally, but the piece doesn’t feel jazzy to me, but it does have Holst written all the way through the music. Nevertheless, it’s a very enjoyable piece for brass band. Paul Hindmarsh’s arrangement adds somewhat to the reluctantly given humour of the piece.

There is a much used saying ‘leave the best to last’ and I think that it has happened here. Conducted by the Holst Society president Martyn Brabbins, A Moorside Suite, really shows off Gustav Holst’s mastery of the brass band genre. It’s his only work written specifically for brass band and it’s a real shame he didn’t do more. The brass band world is very much driven by the contest agenda, where all levels of band vie for recognition and accolade by playing “test pieces” that do just that; they test the skills and playing of each band. A Moorside Suite has transformed the standing of test-pieces for brass band and has encouraged many other classical composers to follow suit and compose for brass band.

A Moorside Suite is a classic piece. A gently satirical Scherzo is followed by a dreamy and nostalgic Nocturne which gradual builds to a soulful culmination. Finally, there’s a March which fuses energy and eloquence; it’s a great way to round off this excellent collection of Holst works.

This is a really enjoyable CD and I am indebted to the writer(s) of the notes in the booklet; I have drawn on these in writing this review. Choosing music for a CD collection is never easy, but I do believe that the Holst Society have created an album that shows off the Holst’s family’s talents and relevance to the brass band media in an entertaining and diverse album. It’s really pleasing to see how much new music is on the CD. The skills of the Tredegar Town Band and the two conductors Ian Porthouse and Martyn Brabbins are exceptional and really add to the quality of the finished product.

Ken Talbot