British Bandsman CD of the Year 2011.
With the imposing backdrop of the Alps and the deep blue-grey waters of Lake Geneva framed in every south facing window of the newly-refurbished Auditorium Stravinski, we could not have wished for a more picturesque setting for the 2011 European Brass Band Championships. After a memorable four days of quality music-making and engaging entertainment, Manger Musikklag from Norway's equally beautiful fjord coast, where its brass band heart beats fastest, reached the summit of European banding for the first time, having been 'in the frame' on more than one occasion in the past. What struck a chord with so many of the cognoscente in the capacity audiences, who were drawn to the cultural hub of Montreux, was the undemonstrative yet unfailingly musical way in which Manger achieved its victory. Under conductor Peter Szilvay's intelligent direction, the band produced two of the most satisfying performances of the weekend, in which the music leaped off the page with flair and imagination.
