Enfield opened the concert in energetic fashion with 'Let There be Light', before compère Paul Hindmarsh introduced 'Marche Militaire Francaise', taken at a brisk, neatly paced tempo.

The RAF Brass Quintet featured music by Charles Ives; his quirky 'Variations on America' moving from the strident to the humorous with all five players put through their paces.

Superb

Les Neish had chosen the Vaughan Williams 'Tuba Concerto', arranged by Philip Littlemore, who was present to hear a superb performance.  The expressive central 'Romanza' was finely delivered, whilst there was a nice touch of fun in the galumphing finale.  

Les then amazed the audience with an unaccompanied encore, complete with extended multiphonics and variations played with a single finger.

Masterful

The presence of Rev Barbara Steadman-Allen and Rosemary Steadman-Allen was acknowledged before the performance of Ray's masterful, 'The Lord is King'.  

The opening fanfare set the scene effectively, featuring a solid sound and crisp rhythms, whilst the reflective second section highlighted well-balanced duets and a quiet, muted coda. The finale saw the trombones in fine form, with thunderous timpani and effective tubular bells culminating in a massive climax.

March Past

In an un-programmed start to the second half, Wing Commander Duncan Stubbs conducted the band in the 'RAF March Past'.

Belfast born Dorothy Gates had reworked 'Another World' in concerto grosso form to feature both quintet and band.  Using melodic fragments from Les Condon's 'Song of Praise', the first movement set the quintet centre stage, with the band providing background accompaniment and the occasional tutti interlude.  

In the quintet movement, a solo trumpet soared over an ostinato played by the remaining four, with the second trumpet playing flugel.  Quintet and band shared a more equal partnership in the finale, with lilting passages, together with a slower, more expansive central section.  

RSA skills

'Simple Gifts' showed off RSA's skills as an arranger, before Jonathan Gawn and Les Neish joined forces to present the tuba duet 'Radiant Pathway'.  Described by Paul as a ‘burlesque’, they captured its essence with stunning runs and a lovely cantabile section.

Major Gaudion's scripture thoughts led into 'In Quiet Pastures', where the band perhaps just luxuriated a little bit in the writing, before Les returned with a delicate 'Ballad'. The finale was Ralph Pearce's setting of 'I Was Glad', with the brass quintet taking the vocal parts.  

Impressive as the playing was, there were times when the balance favoured the band a little too much. All that remained was the traditional encore of 'The Red Shield', played with due panache.

Peter Bale