Black Dyke Band

Conductor: Dr. Nicholas Childs
Soloist: Philippe Schartz
St. David’s Hall
Cardiff
Saturday 29th January

If there is a band out there playing better than Black Dyke at the moment, then we would certainly like to know who they are, as the current National Champions are in quite stunning form at present.

Fresh from their outstanding contribution to the RNCM Festival of Brass, where they were the pick of the bands on show, Dyke made the trip to Cardiff for their bi-annual stop over in the Welsh capital to help the Rotary International organisation celebrate its 100th anniversary, and which for this occasion neatly coincided with the centenary celebrations for the City of Cardiff and its fiftieth year celebrations as the Welsh capital city, and of course, the start of the 150th year shindig for the band itself. 

The Welsh of course need not coaxing into enjoying a good bit of congratulatory celebration, so the 1800+ crowd that packed into the St. David's Hall certainly came with the intention of being entertained in fine fashion. And entertained they were too, with Dr. Childs on home turf (not quite home, as he is really a ‘Valleys Boy' at heart) and enjoying himself to the full, and his band performing a varied programme (as we said) in quite stunning fashion.  Perhaps there is something in the water back home in Wales, for the MD was in invigorating form, and he communicated this through his players so that they responded in electric fashion.

It was a one heck of a demanding programme he had chosen, with the fulcrum an outstanding performance of ‘An Age of Kings', which literally ‘brought the house down'. In addition however, he had cleverly chosen to feature the eloquent trumpet playing of Philippe Schartz as the headline soloist of the evening, who produced a cracking account of the Arutiunian ‘Trumpet Concerto' that was greatly appreciated by the knowledgeable audience.

Schartz is no stranger here in Cardiff though, as he is currently the Principal Trumpet of the National Orchestra of Wales, whose home venue is this hall, and the ease of delivery and the contrasts of timbre and style and were hallmarks of a cracking account.  He is a gifted performer who has a growing appreciation of the brass band as an accompanying ensemble for his talents, and we will be hearing more of him in the banding world in the future for sure.

Dyke had opened their account with a wicked romp through ‘Russlan and Ludmilla', which featured some lovely cornet work from Morven Gilchrist on Principal Cornet, who was a superb ‘locum' for Roger Webster all night, whilst following the Schartz solo spot, they launched into a big band set that included some fine playing on ‘Opus One', ‘I Only Have Eyes for You' (featuring those two experienced campaigners John French and Adrian Hirst on classy form) and ‘Mack the Knife'. Brett Baker then produced an highly polished rendition of ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkely Square', before the audience sat back to enjoy ‘An Age of Kings'.

This may have seemed brave choice for an audience mainly made up of ‘Rotarians', but Dr Childs had cleverly taken the step of an ‘introduction' to the piece as the band set up the stage for the extra players, piano, harp and mezzo soprano soloists that augmented the performance. Matthew Rowley (also back home) set the scene with his prologue in such a manner that what followed was easily understood and appreciated by the audience, and it made the extended work much more accessible and subsequently enjoyable to an audience, who in the vast majority of cases, wouldn't have heard such an extended work before.

The result was an exhilarating experience, with the MD using the vast expanses of the auditorium to the full to feature Schartz and BAYV's Chris Turner as the lone trumpet voices, as well as cleverly positioning Leslie Howie away from the mezzo soprano soloist in the sections of the music from the Welsh Court. The battle scenes were thumpingly atmospheric and it ended with a glorious climax (with a special mention to the excellent flugel work of John Doyle and Laura Davies) that set the hairs on the back of your neck on end.  It was a fantastic showpiece for the MD, band and soloists, and wowed the audience who responded with a deserved prolonged ovation. 

The second half was lighter in touch, but equally as impressive, with a cracking little 'Bandology' inspired march from the pen of Peter Graham entitled, ‘Celebrate Rotary' (although the title could have been a bit more inspired perhaps?) before the enjoyable ‘Dyke at the Movies' set that has proved so popular since its curtain call at the National Gala Concert last year. The memories of the Saturday morning pictures at the ‘Olympia' picture house in Tredegar has never left the MD it seems!

Three of the bands soloists then stepped up to the plate to showcase their talents, and showcase them they did too, with three exceptional pieces of work from David Thornton on ‘Auld Lang Syne', Leslie Howie with the Mendelssohn ‘Finale from the Violin Concerto' and Paul Lovatt Cooper with ‘Victors Palm' (otherwise known as ‘Variations on ‘Knees Up Mother Brown') before a foundation rumbling ‘Pines of Rome' and the encores of ‘Toccata in D Minor' with the back row cornets piking it out like a set of Welsh back row forwards and the percussion team (who were excellent all night long) keeping the pulse going like a set of cardiac arrest doctors, plus a whip through the end  of ‘Gaelforce'. 

It rounded off a concert of the very highest class here in Cardiff – one that was enjoyed by a very large and appreciative audience (with a fair old splattering of old and current bandsman from all over South Wales) who left for home thoroughly entertained and in many cases quite inspired. Dyke and their MD are on red hot form at present, with a precision to the ensemble that is stunning, with a quality of sound that is a wide as it is deep and in Nicholas Childs, a conductor inspired. 

On this form, 2005 could be the year to beat all the other 149 put together. Catch them if you can, for at the moment they are worth every penny of the entrance fee wherever they perform.

Bev Rowson.

^back to top