The Leyland Band made a welcome visit to perform at the East Anglian Brass Band Association’s 77th Annual Gala Concert. 

Under Musical Director Jonathan Evans, they opened with the traditional march, aptly named ‘Norfolk’ by Jean Missud, although it was pointed out that it related to Norfolk, Virginia not Norfolk East Anglia. 

Sprightly Corsair

This was followed by a sprightly ‘Le Corsair’ overture before the first solo of the night saw principal cornet Pete Shaw, give a fine rendition of the classic ‘Jenny Wren’. 

The wonderful melodic playing of Kenneth Downie’s ‘In Perfect Peace’ was a lovely contrast; as was the next item - music from the show ‘Chicago’. 

Remarkable

Andrew Stephenson’s ‘Metropolis’ was played with remarkable facility by the band’s exciting young euphonium player James McLeod, before further contrast was given by the ensemble with ‘When The Stars Begin To Fall’ arranged by Iain McKnight and Anton Dvorak’s ‘Ninth Symphony’ - ‘From the New World’ to close.

Blue is the colour

The second half was themed ‘Blue’ - a reprise of Leyland’s 2014 Brass in Concert programme.

‘Blue’ by Thomas Gansch was followed by Dave Brubeck’s ‘Blue Rondo a La Turk’, before flugel star John Doyle performed his own composition inspired by Irish folk songs - a cracking personal performance in more ways than one given that he had recently broken two ribs!

The Japanese inspired ‘Blue Sky’ march and the classic Gershwin ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ led into a moving rendition of ‘Deep Blue’ based on the hymn tune ‘Nearer My God to Thee’.

Imagination

For their finale, ‘The Legend of the Blue Dragon’ by Paul Lovatt-Cooper which certainly caught the imagination of the supportive audience, who also lapped up the brace of encores; the march ‘Norwich Citadel’ and the fun and games of ‘Hootenanny’.

It rounded off a concert that many concert goers stated was one of the very best they had heard for a very long time.