Essential Dyke Volume VIII

Pieces of eight for Dyke as they turn up the volume on their latest essential release.

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Black Dyke Band
Conductor: Dr Nicholas Childs
Soloists: Gareth Brindle, Richard Marshall, Sandy Smith, John Doyle
Doyen Recordings: CD242
Total Playing Time: 73.45

The eighth incarnation of the Black Dyke showcase series should in all honesty be called ‘Essentially Dyke’ rather then ‘Essential Dyke’, given that much of the repertoire that is now appearing on these releases is very much part of their extensive concert repertoire rather than the back bone of their musical heritage.

That said, it remains a very popular set of recordings and there is still a huge back catalogue to mine before the rich seam of musical anthracite is totally exhausted.

Here we get 15 tracks of varied genres, from the traditional overture to the tub thumping orchestral piledriver.  Sandwiched in between are an eclectic mix of solos and ensemble pieces, some old, some new, some different and one blue.

Word of warning

One word of warning though: Black Dyke play very, very loud at times. So loud in fact that there are occasions when the ensemble quality becomes brittle and metallic and the tuning and ensemble balance becomes wayward.

Black Dyke is not alone in upping the dynamic stakes of late, and whilst they do have an immense range to call upon, the top end of it on this recording does at times lack warmth.

Some of the very loud stuff is strident and you do wonder if there could have been a need for the producer and recording engineer just to take a step back and reassess some of the dynamic levels on show as well as the more obvious ensemble mistakes.

That said, at their most controlled Dyke produce a wonderful sound allied to ensemble precision of acute clarity, and there are more than enough examples of both on show throughout the 15 tracks.

Teutonic grandness

The opening ‘La Reine de Saba’ for instance is full of just the right Teutonic grandness, making you wonder if the old Queen of Sheba was in fact a cross between Wagner’s Brunhilde and Xena Warrior Princess. She would have been some woman if she was.

Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’ on the other hand is a touch heavy handed, not helped by William Rimmer’s monochrome and idiosyncratic arrangement from the dusty annals of time.  Despite some wonderful ensemble playing there is surely a better arrangement around than this one by now.

Jane Austen

Richard Marshall is the first of four high class soloists to be featured, and his interpretation of ‘Miss Blue Bonnet’ is full of tasteful capriciousness, brought off with a delicacy of touch and mannered subtlety that wouldn’t be out of place if the little Miss had been a character in a Jane Austen novel. 

Sandy Smith is also on top-notch form with ‘An Untold Story’ by Paul Lovatt-Cooper, whilst Gareth Brindle delivers a tender rendition of Evelyn Glennie’s ‘A Little Prayer’, which rather suits the lighter tonality of the baritone voice. 

Pork pie

With the recording having taken place in February this year, there is also a last chance to hear the band’s former flugel player John Doyle provide a fitting, and appropriately entitled full stop to his Dyke career with ‘That’ll Do’.  We know Mr Doyle is now enjoying a varied musical career elsewhere, although the ultimate whereabouts of the pig in the film may not be so clear.

Roy Newsome excellent sleeve notes may provide the answer though when he says the song provides ‘…food for thought’. Yep – a Bowyer’s pork pie it is then for Babe.   

Exciting

The exciting filmatic writing of Paul Lovatt-Cooper is featured to fine effect with the colourful duo of ‘Vitae Aeternum’ and ‘Light Fantastic’. The former is a highly polished piece of accessible musical furniture – a bit like those smartly designed Scandinavian sofas you get in Habitat stores: You know that underneath the good looks it does the same job as any other black leather three seater, but you like it better because it looks so hip and trendy.

So too the Chinese inspired ‘Light Fantastic’ which comes across as a quite surreal musical mix of Chinese takeaway meets mid American diner with added side salad of Saint-Saëns ‘Bacchanal’. It works a treat though.

Elsewhere we take an Iberian detour with a splendidly tumultuous ‘Capriccio Espagnol’ and a Gallic stop off with a real old whip through Widor’s ‘Toccata’ played at breakneck speed.

Heavy artillery

The CD is rounded off in Italy and the heavy artillery out in full force on ‘Pines of Rome’. The legions are certainly returning home intent on waking up the neighbours a full few miles before they reach the city walls on this occasion. 

A further point of interest is created with Dyke’s rendition of ‘I’ll Walk with God’, which given that Grimethorpe also play it on their latest release (although some 30 seconds quicker) makes you wonder if there is a Mario Lanza pressure group at work trying to get the old warbler back on our screens. Dyke’s more emotional packed rendition does go for the tear jerking jugular.

Laudate

That leaves Edward Gregson’s revised version of his popular ‘Variations on Laudate Dominum’, in which the composer has added two new variations in the last year or so. Whether or not they were needed is questionable, but it does give the work a more substantive feel – perhaps a test piece feel even?

Overall then ‘Essential Dyke VIII’ is an enjoyable, slick and professional addition to the series, even if there are times when a little less of a heavy hand on the dynamics would have benefited it even more. Part IX will surely follow.

Iwan Fox

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