Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Clarion Brass, a tradition of creativity

Clarion Brass presents two performances of the Jolly Wassail Tour this year: Monday in Spokane and Tuesday in Coeur d’Alene.

Every year around Christmas, it seems radio stations and department stores are playing the same batch of traditional holiday songs over and over. How many reverential versions of “Silent Night” and “The Little Drummer Boy” do you have to endure before you never want to listen to a single note of them ever again?

Since 1992, Spokane’s Clarion Brass Choir has been taking those yuletide chestnuts and spinning them into something unexpected. William Berry, who founded the 13-member group, has been writing original arrangements of classic Christmas tunes since the group’s inception.

“These are the same carols and hymns people hear every time, but we do them differently,” he said. “It’s just not going to be the same thing every year. Some things are really serious and introspective, and other things are just romping.”

Clarion relies as much on musical unpredictability as it does theatrics. Their take on “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” features African drumming. Their renditions of 14th- and 15th-century English drinking songs incorporate cup stacking routines, while their interpretation of “12 Days of Christmas” quotes several classical compositions (for example, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is referenced in the “nine ladies dancing” verse).

Berry’s arrangements take advantage of the cultural familiarity of the original songs, and part of their appeal is that audiences will be able to recognize the musical subversion going on.

“We can play on the atavistic and institutional memory of those tunes, that people hear it and something has been done with it that’s different from before,” Berry said. “You hear them once a year or several times a year every season for your entire life.”

The choir is made up of four trumpets, four French horns, three trombones, a tuba and a percussionist – Robert Spittal serves as conductor – and Berry, one of the trumpeters, enjoys showcasing a section that isn’t always front and center in a typical orchestral setting.

“I’ve got incredible musicians,” Berry said. “They can do just about anything, and they don’t get used enough in regular ensembles. So I’m really going to push the limits of what sounds can be and what people can do, so it’s a good chance to explore things.”

The Clarion concerts have become an annual tradition for many families – Berry says the fact that it’s so close to Christmas day brings in the crowds – and they promise to bring new surprises to audiences each time out.

“It’s both a burden and an opportunity to have to do the same music every year, but people who love the music and love the season want to hear something new, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said. “It’s art music for people who love Christmas music.”