[Brass Band] Peter Graham - Montage (Black Dyke Band)

Montage was commissioned by the All England Masters Brass Band Championships to be used for their contest in 1994, which was won by the BBS Fodens Band conducted by Howard Snell.

Peter Graham had written extensively for brass bands before he wrote Montage, but this composition represented a major shift in his compositional outlook and sought its inspiration from the likes of Lutoslawski and Messian. It is a three-movement work that lasts around 15 minutes in duration. The first movement intrada forms a perfect ABCBA arch. Generative thematic fragments appear in A above a pulsating timpani line which in turn is mirrored by the glockenspiel; B is characterised by glittering cornet work and figures whilst C is a sinuous duet punctuated by sharply descending semitones.

The middle movement is a beautiful detached chaconne, both expressive and melodic which revolves around a chord sequence, which builds to the climax of the whole piece. It is stated by the composer that the Chaconne's continuous cycle of chords maybe visualised as circles.

The final Rondo is full of drive and verve and moves towards a powerful conclusion, direct from the opening soprano and bass feature towards to very ending, which makes immense demands on player's stamina and technique. As stated in the foreword to the music: The teleological thrust of the movement (if not the entire work) can be symbolised by the flight of an arrow, as it steers a predetermined course towards it's target.

Since its use at the Masters Montage has proved a popular work and has been used extensively throughout Europe. In 1998 it was used as the regional test piece for the National Championships.