MOVE (ASC CS CD21)

Tubalate (Euphonium/Tuba Quartet)

Without doubt one of the busiest brass ensembles in Britain today, Tubalate have travelled the length and breadth of the country introducing their dynamic concert programmes to delighted audiences. The ensemble majors in presenting entertaining and educational shows to younger listeners and its members are tremendous ambassadors for the brass community in general, and low brass instruments in particular.

Group members are Paul Walton and John Powell (euphoniums), Ryan Breen and Ian Anstee (tubas). Their collective talents produce an ensemble that is highly articulate and well balanced, rich in tone and virtuosic in technique. If you are of the opinion that the tuba quartet is a dull, monotone medium then I’m pretty sure that a listen to one of Tubalate’s recent compact disc releases will convince you otherwise.

Episodes.

This disc is an eclectic collection of original and transcribed scores. The arrangements range from a beautifully phrased and shaped Air from a Suite in D and an attractive setting of Scarborough Fair through to Boogie Woogie ‘Tuba Boy’ and Peter Smalley’s version of Mission Impossible, played to perfection, as you would expect from this group of talented players. There are three original works on the disc, all specially commissioned by the ensemble, each one allowing Tubalate to display its wide-ranging musical vocabulary. Paul Mitchell-Davidson provides a flamboyant ‘be-bop’ influenced piece entitled Tubafication, the group revelling in it’s angular themes and perilous rhythms. Simon Kerwin’s programmatic three movement suite Illustrations for Tubas is more traditional in flavour whilst the title track Episodes by John Reeman is perhaps the most contemporary work on the CD – and it’s here where the quartet really impress with it’s taught rhythmic grip, expansive dynamics and clean technical execution.

Move

Opening with Kerwin’s busy ‘contest’ style march FroT (Friend of Tubalate) the disc continues with Howard Skempton’s Rest and Recreation, a very beautiful pavane followed by an energetic second movement – a very interesting work. In fact Tubalate feature no less than seven commissioned works on Move – a testament to their policy of championing new and diverse music for low brass ensemble.

Based on an 11^th Century Gregorian Chant Pascal’s Victim by Frederick Naftel features a reflective middle section sandwiched

between it’s devilish outer movements. Matthew Davidson’s thought provoking Move (for tuba ensemble and narrator) is unique in its minimalist form whilst David Solomons’ restful Prayer before the Close of Day shows the group’s impeccable balance in the work’s dense chord clusters. Dr. Roy Newsome (who also produced the recording) provides traditional fare in his three-movement quartet The Basics which admirably exploits the natural characteristics of the tuba family.

On the lighter side Tubalate entertain, with their party pieces; Just A Closer Walk, 3 Negro Spirituals arranged by Timothy Moore, the jazz standard St. James Infirmary (a Louis Armstrong favourite) and a wonderful setting of a Latvian song Aija Zuzu by Peteris Plakidis. The classical repertoire is represented by transcriptions of music by Francesco Gasparini and J.S.Bach – Move has music for every taste!

The playing on both discs is of a very high standard; the programming is adventurous and reveals Tubalate as being a leading voice in world of the brass chamber ensemble, they are certainly CDs for the connoisseur and I can recommend them.

Steve Sykes.