An Hour of Bands

An Hour of Bands was exactly what it said on the tin: an hour of our two flagship ensembles entertaining us with a whole variety of different styles of music. The Brass Band opened on Sunday evening with a traditional brass set piece, Barnard Castle, showing the blend and character in their playing, even after just eight weeks’ rehearsal. We heard film music from John Williams – the Hymn to the Fallen – and a traditional overture, developing solos from within the ensemble, Lonely Mill.

The Concert Band is a huge ensemble these days: 50 players packed the stage to perform some very sturdy concert repertoire. The Concert Prelude by Philip Spark set the right tone for an eclectic programme: everything from the Riverdance memories of Carter’s Lord of the Dance suite, to sections of Les Miserables, including some impressive solo moments for horn, trumpet and flute, celebrating 30 years of Schoenberg’s score. Particularly poignant, however, was the very sensitive performance of Pachelbel Canon, exploring different textural and melodic material and using the large ensemble to produce some excellent sounds.

The Bands are in fine form once again – and we look forward to the huge Bands’ Concert in late February next term. It was a wonderful way to end a busy weekend at Teddies.