The sun is free to flow with the sea Works by Simon Dobson, Bobbie-Jane Gardner, Emily Hall, Charlotte Harding, Zoë Martlew, Roxanna Panufnik, Yshani Perinpanayagam, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Errollyn Wallen Onyx Brass NMC NMC D276 65:41 mins
Onyx Brass have chosen to commemorate their 30th anniversary with this latest album The sun is free to flow with the sea, consisting of works from some of their favourite composers and collaborators. As a result, the techniques and musicality drawn on bring us into soundworlds springing from folksong, landscape, American music and the brass and concert band worlds.
The Copland-esque material illustrated in Roxanna Panufnik’s opening Fanfare for Broadway Tower instantly invites us into a place of space and light and contrasts beautifully with the laugh-out-loud funny piece of musical theatre; Zoë Martlew’s Kiss Kiss. Here the vocal, breath and body sounds provide proper silliness, especially (whether intended or not) as the American words are voiced with such strong English accents. Other pieces such as Simon Dobson’s four-movement brass quintet clearly illustrate music from these islands, paying homage to fellow brass composers Derek Bourgeois, Malcom Arnold and Edward Gregson, and entering contrasting worlds of pointillism and warm, brassy chords.
The Englishness of the band, however, doesn’t get in the way of providing a really deep understanding of American musical language – as demonstrated by Charlotte Harding’s Rhombus with it’s swaggering trombone, and Mark-Anthony Turnage’s hints of Duke Elllington in ONYX30. It is perhaps this musical diversity that makes for such an inspiring project and continues to be the lifeblood of this ensemble. Not just awesome chops and feel, but an ability to sound like so much more than merely five brass instruments. Altogether, it is an outstanding achievement.
Anne Templer