Treize Etoiles wins European

Treize Etoiles and Musical Director Frederic Theodoloz were crowned the 2023 European Champions yesterday in Malmo. Following a fabulous two-days of contesting from Europe’s finest Championship Section bands, adjudicators Philippe Bach, Ivan Meylemans, Allan Withington (set test) and Michael Bach, Bert van Thienen, Sheona White (own choice) combined their totals to give the band from Switzerland the narrowest of winning margins over second placed Black Dyke. Treize Etoiles ended the weekend with 194 points by virtue of a captivating winning performance ‘Aurora’ from the pen of Joel Thoor Engstrom. Although the band’s performance the following day of Thierry Deleruyelle’s ‘Sand and Starts’ was a real crowd pleaser, the third place it received was enough to snatch the victory.

Black Dyke and MD Prof Nicholas Childs had a good deal to be proud of having been favourites of the pundit’s and many in the audience for the title. The band delivered two incredible musically shaped performances across the weekend, but had to be content with the runner-up spot this weekend. The final podium position was awarded to Eikanger-Bjorsvik Musikklag, along with the soloist prize for trombonist Vidar Nordli. The band’s performance of its own choice by Simon Dobson gave them the points boost required to push the reigning champions, Cory into fourth. Fellow Welsh competitors Tredegar took fifth place and the top six was completed by Festival Brass Band.

Full results can be seen below and a comprehensive review of the contest will appear in the next issue of BBW.

Championship Section:
Adjudicators:
Set Work: Philippe Bach, Ivan Meylemans, Allan Withington
Own Choice: Michael Bach, Bert van Thienen, Sheona White

Test Piece: Aurora (Joel Thoor Engstrom)
Set Work/Own Choice = Total

1. Brass Band Treize Etoiles (Frederic Theodoloz): 98/96 = 194*
Sand and Stars (Thierry Deleruyelle)

2. Black Dyke Band (Prof Nicholas Childs): 96/98 = 194
Antiphones on Themes by William Byrd (Oliver Waespi)

3. Eikanger-Bjorsvik Musikklag (Florent Didier): 95/97 = 192
HorrorShow for Brass Band and Percussion (Simon Dobson)

4. Cory Band (Philip Harper): 97/94 = 191
Other Lives (Oliver Waespi)

5. Tredegar (Ian Porthouse): 94/95 = 189
Are We Dark Inside (Ludovic Neurohr)

6. Festival Brass Band (Steven Verhaert): 93/90 = 183*
A Gabrieli Fantasy (Bert Appermont)

7. R.E.T. Brass Band (Andreas Lackner): 92/91 = 183
No Man's Land (Thierry Deleruyelle)

8. Hauts-de-France Brass Band (Luc Vertommen): 91/92 = 183
Diary of a Madman (Christian Brandt)

9. Gota Brass Band (Michael Thomsen)
Catharsis (Kjetil Djonne): 87/93 = 180

10. Whitburn Band (Paul Holland): 90/88 = 178
Astralis (Philip Wilby)

11. Lyngby-Taarbaek Brass Band (Glenn Van Looy): 88/89 = 177
Fraternity (Thierry Deleruyelle)
12. 3BA Concert Band (Corsin Tuor): 89/86 = 175
A Gabrieli Fantasy (Bert Appermont)

13. Soli Brass (Anne van den Berg): 85/87 = 172
The World Rejoicing — Symphonic Variations on a Lutheran Chorale (Edward Gregson)

14. Italian Brass Band (Giuseppe Saggio): 86/85 = 171
Breath of Souls (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)

Best Soloist: Vidar Nordli (trombone) — Eikanger-Bjorsvik Musikklag

*Set Work placing takes precedence in event of a tie

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