A hundred years ago the Wind Band Contest celebrated its 25th anniversary. The performances took place in the Valencia Bullring on 1 and 2 August and were divided into two divisions:

• Division Two, for bands with a maximum of 40 musicians.
• Division One, for bands with over 40 musicians.

On the first day of the Contest the participating bands began to parade through the city streets at 3:30 p.m., playing pasodobles until they reached the Bullring.

On the jury were Cecilio de Roda López (Musicologist and music critic); Arturo Saco del Valle Flores (Conductor of the Orchestra of the Teatro Real) and Ramón Martínez Carrasco (Director of the Valencia Conservatory of Music). At 4 p.m. they took their places in the judges box and the Contest began with a procession by the participating bands, who marched around the ring until they came to the large stage that had been constructed for the performances. The procession was closed by the Valencia Municipal Band, conducted by Damián Gasó Fabra.

Then the four bands in Division Two took to the stage to perform their compulsory piece: Beethoven's overture 'Egmont Op. 84'.

They were followed by the five bands in Division One playing their free-choice pieces. The Valencia Municipal Band closed this section of the Contest to great acclaim. After their performance of a Fantasia from Wagner's 'Siegfried', they had to give three encores in response to repeated standing ovations from the large audience. The first day of the contest ended at around 10 p.m. as the bands left the Bullring and marched through the city streets.

The second day of the Contest started just as the first had, with a procession of the bands through the city's main streets until they reached the Bullring arena.

The Contest continued with the performance of the Division One compulsory piece, which was the so-called "Carnival" fourth movement from the 'Rome Suite' by Jules Massenet.

Then the bands in Division Two each played their free-choice piece. The Valencia Municipal Band brought this section to close, under the baton of Damián Gasó Fabra, with their performances of 'The Flying Dutchman' by Wagner, 'L'Entrá de la Murta' by Maestro Giner and the 'Himno de la Exposición' by Maestro Serrano.

As on the first day, the bands left the Bullring with the audience, dispersing throughout the city and waiting for the prizes to be awarded.

At 11 p.m., in the Municipal Exhibition Pavilion on the Paseo de la Alameda, the jury met with the nine conductors of the participating bands and agreed, as it was impossible to give the bands from Liria joint-first prize, to award the following prizes:

• First Prize in Division One and 3,000 pesetas to the Liria "Music Association" Teaching Center Band, made up of 48 musicians and conducted by Francisco de Paula Vives Hernández, who played 'Les Erynnies' by Jules Massenet as their free-choice piece.
• Second Prize and 2,000 pesetas to the Liria "Primitiva" Band, made up of 57 musicians and conducted by Julián Palanca Masiá, who also played 'Les Erynnies' by Jules Massenet as their free-choice piece.
• Third Prize and 1,000 pesetas to the Novelda Municipal Band, made up of 45 musicians and conducted by Eleuterio Parra Bernabeu, who played the 'Patrie' Overture by Georges Bizet as their free-choice piece.
• Also taking part in the 25th edition of the Contest were: the Torrent Workers' Music Association Band, made up of 53 musicians and directed by Valentín Planells Gozalvo, who played 'Le Pardon de Phoermel' by Giacomo Meyerbeer as their free-choice piece; and the Benaguacil Music Association band, made up of 46 musicians and directed by Joaquín Pérez Rodríguez, who performed Richard Wagner's 'Tannhäuser' Overture.

In Division Two the jury awarded the following prizes:

• First Prize and 2,000 pesetas to the Antella Municipal Band, made up of 38 musicians and conducted by José García Pastor, who played Mozart's 'Don Juan' Overture as their free-choice piece.
• Second Prize and 1,000 pesetas went to the Monserrat "Agrícola" Band, made up of 40 musicians and conducted by Francisco Hueso del Toro, who played 'Carnaval' by Alexander Glazunov as their free-choice piece.
• Third Prize and 500 pesetas to the Paterna "Artistic-Musical Center" Band, conducted by Vicente Peris Valero. Its 38 musicians played Georges Bizet's 'Suite no. 2' as their free-choice piece.
• Also taking part in Division Two, with 38 musicians and conducted by Emilio Salt Isach, was the Algimia de Alfara Music Association Band who played the 'Cleopatra' Overture by Luigi Mancinelli.

The jury's decisions were warmly welcomed by the audience as the fairest that had been made for several years.

Alfredo Ruíz / Daniel Belloví