Black Dyke

Conductor: Dr Nicholas Childs
Compere : Mike Meadmore
Morley Town Hall
Saturday 17th January

With the Festive Season behind us and well into the New Year, the concert series at Morley resumed with the visit of the famous Black Dyke Band. The history of this band and its reputation for excellent music making is known all over the world and for those people who don't know of the band must have been hidden away longer than Osama Bin Laden. For the packed hall though, the bands reputation has been hard earned and well deserved.

The Band opened up the concert with the march "The Waltonian" arr Richards. This circus type march was taken at a brisk tempo with the trombone section in fine form. The music of Mozart is a favourite with most audiences and in "The Marriage of Figaro" the band produced a nice light approach to the music in true Mozart style. The control over the dynamics was top class and this was brass playing at its best.

The bands Principal Cornet Roger Webster needs no introduction to band audiences and in "The Carnival of Venice" he gave a sparkling performance and this arrangement by James/ Freeh in swing style was a welcome change from other arrangements. Roger was then joined by the rest of the cornet section in James/Geldard "Trumpet Blues and Cantabile", the technique was excellent but it lacked balance so the overall effect didn't quite come off.

Music from the film world followed with three numbers. The first "Mission Impossible" then "Soul Bosa nova" in which the band's flugel horn player John Doyle excelled, and finally the trombone section were featured in "I Will Follow Him" from the film Sister Act. Very fine light foot tapping stuff.

The first half of the concert ended in complete contrast with two movements from Eric Ball's arrangement of Elgar's "Enigma Variations". The first "Nimrod" was in a word stunning. The feeling of the music was at all times to the fore with some excellent playing from Michelle Ibbotson on soprano cornet. What a shame then that a member of the audience had their mobile phone on and its ring spoiled it for this listener and those around from enjoying some terrific playing. When will these people learn to turn the damn things off when in Concert's or don't they care. The "Finale" followed with excellent playing all through the band. The bands who beat them in London a few months ago must have been on good form, whilst rumours around the hall afterwards suggested that a full rendition of the work may be on the Dyke recording diary in the near future. It will be most welcome.

Music by Berlioz opened the second half with his "March to the Scaffold". Dramatic music this and the build to its climax was well controlled with excellent balance. Lennon and McCartney composed some terrific music with the Beatles and their "Yellow Submarine" and "Lady Madonna" were classics. The band gave these two numbers the full treatment in a relaxed style.

The bands Principal Euphonium player David Thornton then chose "Variations on a Theme" by Rossini as his solo .What a fine player this young man has become, with excellent backing from the band his performance was out of the top drawer - wonderful technique and control and his playing thrilled the capacity audience. The next soloist was Brett Baker, the bands Solo Trombone player who gave a most lyrical show of the classic song "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square". His total control over his instrument showed why he is one of the finest trombone players in the country.

"Largo al Factotum" by Rossini was the chosen solo by Joseph Cook the bands principal Eb bass player, and like the other soloist's he was in control of his playing but at times the sound didn't project to the audience (the acoustics at Morley are not kind to tuba players) but a nice solo never the less.

The film "Saving Private Ryan" is one of the finest war films ever made and the music by John Williams some of the finest ever written. The band chose the moving "Hymn to The Fallen" in which for me they produced some of the finest band playing you could ever wish to hear. I have heard this music played many times by bands but not as well as this. Nicholas Childs got every emotion you could imagine from the band in this wonderful music - well done.

The finale was music by Tchaikovsky in his "Symphony No. 4", and taken at lightning tempo it showed the band could change style with no problem at all.

As an encore the band played "The Lost Chord". The first line of the song goes "Seated one day at the organ I was weary and ill at ease", there was nothing weary about this playing it indeed sounded like a large organ super chords and so musically shaped, Black Dyke at its best.

An excellent concert by a top class band. Well done Leeds City Council for continuing with this superb series. Dyke are on tremendous form with the Regionals coming up.

David Tinker

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