A resurgent Besses o' the Barn Band continues to make outstanding musical progress — with their latest musical partnership seeing them take to the stage with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Albert Hall

Earlier this week, the band made the trip to the Royal Albert Hall in London (above) to join up with the orchestra for a sell out Classic FM radio broadcast concert drenched in razzamatazz, cannons and fireworks.

Much of the same programme was then performed in two further sell-out concerts at the RLPO's 'home' at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, as part of the orchestra's season 'opener'.

The programme included the world premiere of Nigel Hess' specially-commissioned 'Celebration Overture', written for the orchestra's 175th anniversary this year, and Rachmaninov's 'Second Piano Concerto' .

Ear bursting

Meanwhile, Besses, whose current MD is RLPO principal trombone Simon Cowen, added a splash of red-lapelled colour to the platform, and boosted the brass complement to something like an ear-busting 34 as they took part in the closing items 'The Triumphal March' from 'Aida', and Tchaikovsky's '1812 Overture'.

For the band, the experience of the last week has created a buzz around the bandroom which will last for quite some timeMusical Director Simon Cowen

Huge fun

Musical Director Simon Cowen told 4BR: "The concerts were huge fun, and absolutely loved by the audiences. For the band, the experience of the last week has created a buzz around the bandroom which will last for quite some time."