A Classical Celebration

The Roberts Bakery Band
Conductor: Colin Cranson
Soloists: Mark Davies, Philip Dias, Laura Smallwood, Sarah Loney, Laura Beeston, Andrew Ingleby
Amadeus Recordings: AMSCD086
Total Playing Time: 60.52

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The Roberts Bakery Band celebrated its 25th anniversary of its association with its sponsors in 2005. It has been a fruitful relationship that even though hasn't resulted in the band winning major titles has seen them made significant progress to establish themselves as a solid contesting and concert performer.

Much of that credit must go to its MD, Colin Cranson, who has been in charge of the band for the past 33 years and he has brought many of the virtues that served him so well as a fine euphonium player with the likes of Fodens in the 1970's to this release.

As with the majority of releases on the Amadeus label, it is a release that is aimed towards the bands own ‘home market': a CD that can be sold at concerts, given as gifts and used to help raise funds for the bands other activities. It is therefore conservative in approach, light and easy listening and features a number of solid soloists. That is both its strength and it's most obvious weakness though and it does leave you wondering at what target audience the MD and the band think they have to appeal to, as the release provides a very narrow and somewhat staid approach to entertaining.

It is of course a reflection of the MD of what music is selected, although it must also be said that it would appear that the release repays a significant musical debt to the founders of the sponsors company. Roberts Bakery has the feel of a well run, slightly traditional and conservative family orientated business which has got where it has today through hard work, no flash gimmicks and a firm grasp of knowing their market. The cover of the CD tells you everything you need to know – it is not exactly eye catching, but confirms that feeling of responsibility and heritage, no nonsense baking of good old British cakes and bread to the masses.

That is perhaps why we get the 9 tracks that we do. Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance is as English as a cucumber sandwich (made from Roberts Baker bread no doubt), whilst the other more lengthy items are the very traditional brass band arrangements of 1812 Overture, Scherezade and Themes from the New World Symphony. These are as British in heritage as an Eccles cake and a toasted tea bun.

All are given decent performances, but as pieces of music they are as thrilling as a ride on a pensioners stair lift. Thora Hird may have found them appealing, but that's about it, as the two Drake Rimmer arrangements are so dated and poorly constructed that you wonder if he actually heard the performances of the originals at all. It also goes to show how far brass arranging has come in the years since Drake Rimmer was producing these poor efforts. 

The soloists do however provide solid performances of merit with Philip Dias, the 2005 British Open Solo Champion, who at the time played with the band, being the pick with a neatly crafted version of  Blessed Assurance. Mark Davies on cornet, Andrew Ingleby on euph (who gives a very well controlled performance of the Rondo from Mozart Fourth Horn Concerto) and the horn section are also well worth an extended listen to as well.

'A Classical Celebration' is a CD release that has no pretentions to be anything other than a solid celebration of a partnership that has not only been a benefit to the band, but also to the sponsors and the people of the Middlewitch area. The band has raised thousands of pounds for charitable organisations since 1980 and we are sure this release will help raise many more. Sometimes though, even the most British of things can benefit from a more exotic twist. The old white sliced loaf is being replaced by panninis you know, and is being enjoyed by many more people as a result.

Iwan Fox

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