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Cardiff '96

Dear all,
     I would like to pass on my disappointment about the choice of venue fo=
r =
the 1996 lower section finals at Cardiff last week. One of my banding =
colleagues said to me "the hall's like an aircraft hanger" but I waited to =
judge this remark on the sounds of the bands on stage, which had been built =
=
for the occasion. I listened to a few of the 4th section bands before my =
band played in the 3rd section and a few of the 3rd section bands after we'd=
 =
played. I'm afraid that in my opinion the hall should have left for the =
reason it was built - shows and conferences. The bands sounded miles away =
even though I sat on the closest seat to the stage behind the adjudicators' =
=
box.

     When it was our turn to play Sinfonietta we gathered in the changing =
rooms waiting for our turn to take the "warm-up room" prior to registration.=
 =
We were called in and were amazed to find a band formation of seats without =
=
any music stands!! We were told that it was a warm-up room and not a =
rehearsal room. (I distinctly remember last years finals at Wembley having =
stands and being allowed to practice our piece) It isn't as though any one =
band is going to have an advantage by having stands. Anyway, we had a blow =
trying to hold or remember the music then were told to register. On the way =
=
down the stairs to registration one of the officials just happened to =
mention "oh by the way the vibraphone belt has broken then in the same =
breath that the damper on the tubular bells is stuck on." What is the NCC =
playing at not having a spare belt or even a perc. official available for =
timp tuning like Ray Payne is at the Yorkshire areas. Well this sent a panic=
 =
through the band and really seemed to disturb our concentration. The 2 perc.=
 =
players of the band are a 15 year old girl and an older student of which the=
 =
finals was only his second contest. They panicked more than anyone. But this=
 =
was not the only issue - the band had hired tubular bells and vibraphone at =
=
a cost of stlg200 - will the NCC refund this - I think not. We asked if we =
could run and get ours but they said no. This would be the case for all the =
=
bands and no one would have an advantage. (Even though bands 1-3 had had =
working instruments.) It would have been interesting if those bands had done=
 =
well at the contest - they didn't.

     So there we were on stage ready to start playing then the perc. player=
 =
whispers to the conductor - where is the mallet for the 'broken' tubular =
bells - there wasn't one. You can probably imagine  how we were feeling at =
this point. He had to hit them with a xylophone stick - which funnily enough=
 =
made them ring slightly longer than a mallet would with the damper stuck on.=


     I've played in many of the top halls around the country but only Derby=
 =
Assembly Rooms compares to the International Arena - not in the deadness of =
=
the hall as is the case with the Assembly rooms but in the sheer awkwardness=
 =
of the band sound. It finally flipped the bands already shaky nerve over the=
 =
edge and unsettled us all. We normally have very good stage presence but our =
hopes were dashed in a catalogue of disasters.

     Later in the day we discovered that St. David's Hall around the corner=
 =
wasn't being used and for stlg5000 a day would have been ideal for making =
the best music in. The NCC are boasting the first ever profit for a finals =
weekend maybe they are in it for the money after all.

     Surely the NCC will get it right next time.


	       Peter Hadfield      Principal Cornet
			      Todmorden Old Band
			      Yorkshire, UK


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