Review: Tredegar Band at the 2026 RNCM Brass Band Festival

Stars and Sparks: Tredegar Band at the 2026 RNCM International Brass Band Festival

Tredegar's RNCM International Brass Band Festival featured showstopping new works, a virtuosic concerto and an absolute classic from the pen of the festivals featured composer, Philip Sparke.

A Spark Forgotten by Tamsin Crook

An exciting, driven work composed by a Tamsin Crook, a 17 year old, talented cornet player from Penrith. A great timpani feature followed, before an impressive solo offering from Solo Euphonium. The tension-filled, highly rhythmic piece grew and grew with flashes of technical agility across the cornets. The audience was kept on the edge of their seats as we approached the ending with a series of sudden crescendos acting as false endings before a final, definitive flourish brought the work to a close.

Crook is a forced to be reckoned with. To be creating works this complex and engaging at seventeen, Tamsin certainly has a bright and exciting future ahead of her and I hope her work continues to shine in the spotlight at major brass banding events.

Euphonium Concerto by Derek Bourgeois

Impressive, light-footed ascending runs take us into the beginning of this virtuosic solo performed by world-renowned euphonium soloist, Glenn Van Looy.

This is a work that places so many musical and technical demands on a soloist, yet Van Looy traverses them with ease. What a sound - breathtakingly smooth in the upper register, the soloist made this performance look as easy as breathing. The band offered a consciously sympathetic accompaniement - enough to offer solid support, but never overpowering with delicate supporting solo lines from the Principal Cornet, Flugel and Soprano Cornet.

Van Looy showcased more than just technical skill, but also a musically intelligent delivery where every phrase was crafted with the utmost care. I didn't dare to breathe during the cadenza in the second movement - I was so blown away.

The final movement is a playful, jaunty affair, with fiendish acrobatics for teh soloist across the whole range of the instrument. It's inredible to watch a musician who is in complete and utter command of his instrument. He reaches up into that higher range as easy as a note in the middle of the stave.

A masterclass of a performance.

Melisande by Philip Lawrence

The work was inspired and named after Lawrence's dog, a beautiful red setter - I was a fan before a note wa even played!

Flighty, playful passages ring out, starting in percussion and moving around the band as Melisande bursts into view in all her mischievous, fluffy glory. I could see the Disney-style montage of the puppy's playful pursuits with the jaunty, jazzy section that followed featuring a set of cheeky (and fiendish to play) solo moments across cornet, euphonium, bass and trombones. A perfect musical illustration of puppyhood.

We move into a more mellow mood with a gorgeous duet moment from Principal Cornet and Flugel. This second movement movement was a lush dreamscape of warm tones and glimmers of solo trombone and euphonium in the upper register just shining through the ensemble texture.

The final section of this characterful work, had a bounding energy driven by timpani and basses, as our pooch spotted and becomes mesmerised by a butterfly. The light melody lines and twinkling percussion painted a clear picture of the curious canine. Personally, I've been mesmerised by the fantastic percussion team throughout this entire work who showcased some incredibly flashy playing, particularly on xylophone, glockenspiel and vibraphone.

A fantastic world premiere of a massively technical work, performed exceptionally by Tredegar Band. What an amazing dog Melisande must be to inspire such a work! An incredible tribute to Lawrence, who unexpectedly passed away last Summer. I'm sure he would have been very proud of this performance.

Land of the Long White Cloud by Philip Sparke.

The band finished their programme with an absolute classic and one of this author’s favourite works of all time - Land of the Long White Cloud by Philip Sparke.

Written in 1979, the work takes its title from the name early Polynesian settlers gave to New Zealand.

A crash of waves as the land of the long white cloud comes into view in all its majestic glory. It’s just brass band writing at its finest and executed beautiful with some gorgeous work from euphoniums and baritones - lush tones, balanced and controlled. The recapitulation of the opening statement filled the hall with such a huge, warm sound.

We were soon off with that well known jaunty melody line, that is slightly reminiscent of the tune ‘Old Man River’. I was literally grinning like a little kid watching this! A sweet soprano cornet melody line handed us over to lyrical solos from principal cornet and flugel with a STUNNING sound from flugel!

The lilting section that follows is delivered with controlled poise, steadily building in waves of sound before the crescendo peaks. What a sound from Tredegar Band today - absolutely massive, but not a trace of harshness. The five-strong team of basses had definitely had their Weetabix, as they started off the return of that jaunty theme from earlier in the piece.

This performance of one of my absolute favourites made my day - thank you Tredegar!

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