I first went to Switzerland in the early 1970's and regularly played at the Lucerne Festival with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It is a beautiful city, one of my favourite European cities.
In writing Helvetia (the Roman name for Switzerland) I wanted to encapsulate the moods that remind me of this wonderful place. The work is in four distinct sections and is on the whole, self-explanatory.
It opens with An Alpine Dawn and sunrise, the tubas and euphoniums substituting for the Swiss Alphorns. Next The Clock Shop at Mid-day, a loud ticking, chiming and the sad sound of a cuckoo, builds into the cacophony of the mid-day chimes. The third section is A Walk to Wagner's House. Just along the lake from the centre of town is Tribschen. This walk I have done many times, and it is here that Wagner wrote ‘Tristan'. I have quoted the Dresden Amen (written by J.G. Naumann) which is much used in Parsifal. The final section is The Cesta Run, the most famous bob-sleigh run in the world. As we take each corner, the feeling of speed is demonstrated as only a brass band can do!
The work is dedicated to the Cory Band and also to the memory of James Watson, a great cornet player, trumpeter and conductor. It was he who got me into writing for brass band and I hope this piece is worthy.
Gareth Wood (Feb. 2011)
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