Test Piece Preview: Symphony in Two Movements by Edward Gregson
- Liv Appleton
- Oct 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 10
Exploring Edward Gregson’s Symphony in Two Movements
‘Symphony in Two Movements’ by Edward Gregson is the set work chosen to test the championship bands in the 2025 National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall. Described by the composer as his ‘most abstract work for brass band’, let’s take a look at this epic piece for brass band and the challenges that await the competing bands.
The Story Behind the Symphony: Commission and Context
‘Symphony in Two Movements’ was jointly commissioned in 2012 by the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and the National Youth Brass Band of Wales to celebrate their 60th and 30th anniversaries, respectively.
Speaking about the commission in his programme notes, Gregson says:
“When I was approached about a joint commission to write a new work to celebrate the anniversaries of these two outstanding youth bands, I was delighted to accept, and decided to respond by writing a work apposite for the magnitude of these special occasions, namely a ‘symphony of brass’.
The work received its premiere by the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain in Cadogan Hall, London in April 2012, conducted by Bramwell Tovey. The National Youth Brass Band of Wales then performed it at the Great Hall, Aberystwyth University in July of the same year.
Exploring ‘Symphony in Two Movements’ by Edward Gregson
As you can tell by the title, the 19-minute work is structured in two linked movements. The form of the work is inspired by Beethoven’s final sonata (Op.111), which was made up of a compact sonata-form allegro, followed by a developed theme and four variations and Prokofiev’s 2nd Symphony, which followed a similar structure.
Movement I - Toccata
‘Symphony in Two Movements’ opens with a Toccata. This first offers a bold start that moves into a colourful journey of dance-like rhythmic melodies and shifting moods from dark to hopeful with contrasting uses of dynamics and tonality. There’s an element of Bernstein to be heard in this writing (in this author’s opinion), with the striking rhythmic motifs, reminding me a little of the ‘Mambo’ from West Side Story. Although it is a relatively short movement, it retains the structural elements of a sonata - exposition, development, and recapitulation.
Movement II - Variations
Following a decisive final note from the first movement, the band swells into the longer second movement, Variations, which consists of a theme and four variations. The opening theme begins in the middle of the band, before growing around the band into a lilting, gradual wave of sound.
The first variation is very rhythmic with all instruments around the stand muted to create a delicate, precise, and close-knit texture. Clarity is key in this first variation with the crossing over of melody lines and fast passages with short articulation.
The second movement is a dramatic affair, march-like in style with punctuating percussion, a dark, menacing nature, and contrasts in timbre and dynamics, that builds into a rousing close with a rush of tam tam.
The third movement is a slower, flowing romantic section that offers soloists from around the stand their moment to shine. Do my ears deceive me, or is there a brief melody line featured in the Eb bass about halfway through this movement, just before rehearsal mark 34, that is reminiscent of the main motif in Gregson's work (written in the same year) 'Of Distant Memories' ? It’s a beautiful collage of solo voices that features some tricky moments for all solo instruments before it builds into a lush, passionate full band crescendo. A few closing solo statements leads this movement to a close.
The time to pause and reflect is over, as we’re thrown into a bold, decisive, but steady scherzo in the final variation. This final movement acts as a recapitulation of the whole piece. It’s built upon a series of solo and small ensemble features that hand over the spotlight to each other. Again, as we heard in the first movement, there is an element of Bernstein-esque syncopated moments and passages that are almost jazzy. It’s an epic finale to what is a huge, lively, colourful work that offers plenty of tests whilst being an enjoyable listen (in this geeky author’s opinion, anyway!
Best of luck to all bands competing at the Championship Section National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall this weekend!
References
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