This sixth release in Foden’s long running series is one heck of a celebratory thank you gift to the patrons who stick their hands deep into their pockets to help keep the Sandbach band on the road.
They won’t be complaining that their money isn’t well spent either.
Victories
Historic victories at the British Open and National Finals in 2012 means that Foden’s has been able to include the live recordings from Birmingham and London as a reminder of just what they get in return for their patronage bucks.
The performances of ‘Electra’ and ‘Daphnis and Chloe’ are outstanding – worthy in full of their title winning credentials.
Marked out
What marks them out in retrospect is how Allan Withington expertly defined the complex layers and textures of each in a way no other rival managed at either Symphony Hall or the Royal Albert Hall.
Ellerby’s personal exploration of a mere fragmentary Strauss operatic motif is an intense, almost vicious development, careering headlong into the abyss.
Subtle and exceptional
Withington builds the momentum subtly: allowing the detail and precision to be heard in the opening ‘Lust for Revenge’, before moulding the central ‘Laments’ with a sense of premonition of the climactic ‘Dance to Death’ to follow.
His interpretation (as well as the band’s execution) of ‘Daphnis and Chloe’ was a class apart at the Albert Hall; the only combination to play Snell’s masterful arrangement with a true sense of detached, mysterious beauty – especially in the opening ‘Daybreak', where soprano player Richard Poole is on exceptional form.
The playfulness of the ‘Pantomime’ and the sheer virtuosic drive in the ‘Final Dance’ is exceptional ensemble playing – the result of an MD fully understanding the source material and a band fully compliant with his musical intentions.
Admirable
Elsewhere we get the tasty lollipops, directed with an admirably tight leash on dynamic and tempi excesses by Michael Fowles.
Kenneth Hesketh’s ‘Masque’ bubbles with energy, whilst Elgar’s ‘The Wild Bears’ really does have a dangerous touch of boisterous ursine playfulness about it.
Heaton’s upbeat ‘Victory for Me!’ and Chick Corea’s colourful ‘Spain’ are counterbalanced with the austere flugel solo ‘Domen’ (played beautifully by Helen Williams) and the overtly lachrymose ‘Hymn for Diana’.
Safari suit
Glyn Williams expertly dusts off Philip Sparke’s ‘Pantomime’, with Lesley Howie a bold lead on ‘Bel Canto’.
Meanwhile, Richard Poole brings back enjoyable memories of spies in beige safari suits with a Roger Moore eyebrow raising whip through ‘Live and Let Die’.
Ventriloquist
The tuned percussion feature ‘Liszteria’ though is a reminder that however well played, trying to pastiche a classic bit of piano inspired ‘Tom and Jerry’ only really works when you can combine the clever music with the even cleverer cartoon images.
Together it makes for something special – separated it’s like listening to a ventriloquist on radio.
That though is a minor quibble on a release that ensures Foden’s should have little trouble in keeping their patrons, as well as their many fans around the banding world happy to dig deep into their pockets for the next release in the series.
Iwan Fox
Contents
1. Masque, Kenneth Hesketh, 5.43
2. Live and Let Die, Paul McCartney, arr. Ray Farr, Soloist Richard Poole Soprano Cornet, 3.18
3. Victory for Me!, Wilfred Heaton, 3.54
4. Bel Canto, Kenneth Downie, Soloist Lesley Howie Tenor Horn, 5.25
5. Electra, Martin Ellerby, 12.43
6. Spain, Chick Corea, arr. Peter Meechan, 3.04
7. Domen, Jan Magne Forde, Soloist Helen Williams Flugel Horn, 4.37
8. The Wild Bears, Edward Elgar, arr. Howard Snell, 2.11
9. Hymn for Diana, Joseph Turrin, 5.34
10. Pantomime, Philip Sparke, Soloist Glyn Williams Euphonium, 4.52
11. Liszteria, Sandy Smith, Mark Landon and Anthony Mann Percussion, 4.01
12. Daphnis and Chloë (Second Suite), Maurice Ravel, arr. Howard Snell. 15.44
