As Sunday afternoon brass band entertainment goes this was worth every penny - and made all the more so as Black Dyke had to squeeze onto the stage at the Queen’s Theatre amid the pink coloured set of the theatre’s current production.
It made for a slightly surreal sight, although there was nothing odd about the red-blooded ‘Blaze Away’ march to open, followed by a passionate rendition of Verdi’s ‘Force of Destiny’ that crackled with musical energy and technical brilliance.
Serious tone and humour
That set the serious musical tone for the rest of the concert under Prof Nicholas Childs - although there was a lovely touch of humour when a supporter who had come to the event over many years with a request to hear the famous opening march emblazoned on a tee-shirt, actually arrived late on this occasion and missed out.
When she arrived, any disappointment was allayed as the MD reassured her that it would be included on the band’s next ‘Gold’ CD release, with a special copy sent to her before anyone else!
Others will be queuing up to buy it with playing like this to enjoy; with the chiming refinement of ‘Cornet Carillon’ and a new ‘Black Dyke at the Movies’ set (featuring the music of Harry Potter, Jack Sparrow and James Bond) certainly appealing to young and old.
The outstanding first half soloists were Richard Marshall and Katrina Marzella with ‘Melody of the Heart' and ‘Alone with my Thoughts’, with ‘Fire in the Blood’ making for a triumphant close.
It made for a slightly surreal sight, although there was nothing odd about the red-blooded ‘Blaze Away’ march to open, followed by a passionate rendition of Verdi’s ‘Force of Destiny’ that crackled with musical energy and technical brilliance.
Quality
The second half maintained the quality; from the opening ‘Walking with Heroes’ to the ‘Big Band’ set of ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’, ‘Lil’ Darlin’’ and 'Ol’ Man River’. The solo features of ‘Endearing Young Charms’, 'Concerto de Aranjuez’ and ‘Celtic Promise’ featuring Dan Thomas, Zoe Lovatt-Cooper and Siobhan Bates matched those of their earlier counterparts.
‘Shine as the Light’ and the encore of ‘Swedish Hymn’ rounded off a superbly delivered concert that much like the stage setting, tickled the packed audience pink.
Peter Forrest
