Yorkshire Buiding Society Band

Conducter: Dr David King

Harrogate Theatre
31 August 2002

When you have the names Yorkshire Building Society Band and Dr David King written on your concert program you know you are going to go home with a smile on your face in the knowledge that you have heard something special and a more than likely a little bit different! The European and British Open Champions did not disappoint at Harrogate.

Within seconds of Dr King walking onto the stage, it was straight into music from Lord of the Rings, played with the style and precision we have come to expect from this great ensemble, with the music flowing along creating suspense and drama allowing the audience to relive some of those great onscreen moments.

With a Celtic theme set for the evening Ray Farr's ever-popular arrangement of music from Riverdance was next on the menu, with some very stylish solo playing from Stuart Lingard and Iwan Williams – the Harrogate audience showing their appreciation of this choice. Next up was the Band's first soloist of the evening featuring their principal cornetist, Stuart Lingard performing Adrian Drover's lovely arrangement of Aye Waukin O'- a performance of distinction displaying perfect control and a beautiful cornet sound. In keeping with the Celtic theme the band gave a slick and witty run-through The Reel McCoy (at quite a pace!) before introducing their second soloist – Iwan Williams on Flugel Horn. Iwan gave a breathtaking performance of Over the Rainbow displaying his ability as a player to the full with his silky warm Flugel sound and total control throughout the whole range of the instrument.

James Horner's score for Titanic has been widely acclaimed throughout the music world and this selection from the film arranged by Andrew Duncan is very in keeping with the original notation of the score in places with the band giving it a performance worthy of sitting along side the original. The solo playing throughout the band was of the highest order – creating so much colour and resemblance to original. Sheona White is one of the movements leading soloists and ambassadors for brass playing as a whole. Her rendition of Kenneth Downie's Piper O' Dundee was technically brilliant delivered with the quality of sound and phrasing we have become to expect from Sheona.

The first half of the concert was concluded with a tour de force of Looney Tunes entitled Cartoon Classics put together with great comic relief again from the pen of Andrew Duncan – a piece with some great ‘cartoon-like' (and vocal!) effects, well received from the audience.

The second half got under way with a kind gesture allowing (a very surprised) Frank Dean, an old friend of David King to direct the band in his March Pateley Bridge. This was then quickly followed by another Kenneth Downie arrangement, this time of The Dashing White Sergeant entitled Dance Fever, played to great effect and creating quite a response from the Harrogate crowd.

Whenever you are attending a YBS concert there is one man everyone wants to hear and see perform. That man is the Legendary Peter Roberts. Peter as ever did not disappoint giving (as only he can) a hair-raising rendition of Vesti La Giubba I Pagliacci (On With the Motley) raising a number of the theatre audience to their feet in ovation. Moving on and to quote Dr King himself, "from the sublime to the ridiculous" with a very stylish run through Quincy Jones' Soul Bossa Nova from the Mike Myers hit film Austin Powers, wittily arranged by Andrew Duncan. This really did give the YBS percussion team a chance to shine in a piece that worked to great effect – all that was missing was the odd "Yeah Baby, Yeah"!

From Austin Powers back to Celtic origins with a very laidback performance from Simon Cowen in Bill Galliard's working of Londonderry Air. The three most popular movements from Cry of the Celts followed (Breakout, Lament and Victory March) with some lovely controlled lyrical playing from Mike Howley and Andy Porter on Euphonium in the Lament. This brought the concert to an energetic end before more Celtic music in the form of the band's encore; Peter Graham's Gaelforce, performed with conductor offstage! This again brought members of the appreciative audience to their feet ending a great evening of music making from YBS and David King, proving the popularity of playing music that is both different and boundary stretching for the movement.

The band were superbly led all night by their Bass section and special mention has to go to the band's percussion team who were inspirational all evening and of course the living legend himself, Mr Peter Roberts.

Steven Symonds

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