Elgar Variations (Martin Ellerby) Princeton Brass Band/Allen (NABBA XXXI Champions 2013)

Princeton Brass Band under Dr. Stephen Arthur Allen in their winning performance of the set-test for the North American Brass Band Association Championships XXXI in Cincinnati April 12th 2013 at the Scottish Rite. Go to this link to hear their Own Choice selection Rococo Variations ('Gregson) • Rococo Variations (Edw...
Here is a basic description of the Musical Director's approach to this unique work.
Written in 2007 for the European Band Championships as a 150th celebration of the music of English composer Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934). Although Ellerby claims not to have based the work on any of Elgar's themes it is clear that many of the shapes derive directly from the Theme of his Enigma Variations (1899) and, indeed, Ellerby claims that his Elgar Variations also depict one of his own friends -- never to be revealed. So now that we know that (as with the Elgar original) we can forget about it! Rather what Ellerby does depict for us-that is relevant to our direct experience of the music-is a highly colored progression through a series of emotional moods, very much in the Elgarian vein. Each one of us might have a different idea of what these colorful moods are: for example I feel that, in some curious way I cannot quite explain, the work seems to combine many feelings I would associate with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol-not a literal telling of the story, but definitely capturing its essence in some way. Dickens was a contemporary of Elgar's too!
The music begins with joyous waltz-like fanfares-a breezy open-air sound that leads to a jazzy syncopated lick, which breaks out into another waltz. We are dancing! Suddenly the music slows into a beautiful song on the solo cornet-little calls echoing through the streets. What words might you put to this tune? It is a song without words. Suddenly the mood breaks and we are back with the jazzy lick that now leads to a slightly tipsy (and rather portly) gentleman who is wobbling down the street (trombones). The waltzing couples swirl around him as the mood suddenly switches to chattering (Tchaikovskian?) cornets as Mr. Tipsy is joined by a couple of friends who noisily raise their glasses to loud shouts.
Suddenly the music takes off: A troubled dream? A ghost from the past? Chattering teeth dancing on a cold winter night? A final big shout and the disturbed chattering spreads from the tubas through the entire band, like a neurosis or panic attack, before evaporating on a snatch of the old Christmas carol "...the Angels did say" (from 'Hark the Herald') on the percussion.
This leads to our second beautiful song, this time on flugel horn. A stately Elgarian tune this music would be quite at home in Downton Abbey: music that evokes an olden time. But the jazz lick and waltzing return like an old friend and we are whisked away until a rather prim and proper couple come tripping along in a lighthearted call-response patter (at letter L). But they too vaporize like a dream off into the distance.
Now the euphonium sings a melancholy passionate third song for us, reflecting perhaps on opportunities missed, and a past life largely wasted or mis-directed, we can almost hear the smile through the tears of regret at the end.
"Boom, boom, bang-bang boom" and the melancholy is blown away as we are whipped up into turbulence and the trombones exchange thoughts with the horns as we whirl through the air. The wind gusts propel us through the night until suddenly we view the waltzing couples through the clouds below.
We awake from the dream in a big leather armchair (Letter P-the very heart of this piece) where an internal reflective monologue proceeds. Lots of questions and statements flow thorough the mind, head-in-hand: solo horn, flugel, trombone, solo cornet, euphonium, soprano cornet-all colored by the gentle bells of vibraphone and glockenspiel. Is there snow falling outside?
The bell tolls (midnight?) and a gentle hymn (in Ellerby's clearest reference to Elgar's original Enigma theme) wafts up through the window (Letter R). We get out of the chair and lo, the jazzy waltzers breeze through one last time. A moment of sudden realization (Letter T) and the second flugel song returns, now fully clothed in glorious resolve. We have grown through this experience.
Ellerby's Elgar Variations concludes in what the American poet, Walt Whitman, would call a "barbaric yawp"-a great shout of laughing joy! An instant classic, Ellerby's Elgar Variations connect the best of the old with that of the new.
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[@michaelackerman3823]

Such a beautiful performance!! The band sounds amazing. Clean, controlled playing. So much attention to detail. Brilliant championship sound.

[@TheHuron89]

I was working the high camera for box5 at this event and this was my first exposure to brass bands and I though everyone was simply fantastic. Also, congratulations once to Princeton Brass Band for their championship performances.

[@TheSuefh]

every part of it was packed with artistic brilliance - in particularly the solo's

[@NoelBarr]

Well done guys. This is proof of how far the NABBA have come in such a short time.