The Band of the Coldstream Guards

Major Graham Jones
Maxwell Hall, University of Salford
Wednesday 4th May

If you think along the lines of Benjamin Brittan's ‘Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra', it will give you an idea of how this concert by the Coldstream Guards was presented. 

Instead of a ‘musical guide' to the band though, this was a historical look at the Regiment, the band and the music played down the years, right up to the present day with a World Premiere concluding the programme.

The audience had the opportunity to listen to this famous band as part of its residency at the University of Salford.  This link between the two organisations gives sixteen members of the Guards the opportunity to take a bespoke course developed by Professor David King.  In addition, Undergraduate and Postgraduate students will get the chance to work with the numerous ensembles within the Guards' Band.  It is a partnership that looks as though it is flourishing and of immense benefit to both establishments.

Colonel George Monck's Regiment of Foot was the precursor of the Coldstream Guards.  ‘Monck's March' was commissioned by Major Jones and written by Nigel Hess to pay homage to the great man, and it was this piece that opened the programme.

Throughout the afternoon, Major Jones spoke passionately about the regiment, its history and the impact it had on events at various times, right up until the present day. The concert was a fascinating musical journey and you felt that the conductor was faced with some difficult decisions when it came to which pieces to include and what to leave out.

It was important though for Major Jones to demonstrate how music was performed in certain eras and as a result the audience was given J C Bach's ‘Allegro from his Quintet in Eb' – quintets being an integral part of music from the 1770s.

It was then into the 1780s and a snippet of Schubert's ‘Marche Militaire' complete with serpent, before a fine performance was produced of Weber's ‘Clarinet Concerto'. The first movement from Holst's ‘Suite in Eb' had been preceded by the familiar 'Slaves Chorus' from ‘Nabucco'.

From here it was into the 1900s and a performance of ‘Toccata Marziale' by Ralph Vaughan-Williams.  I had personally never heard this before, but it was fascinating listening, as the band was completely at home with the music and its style.

Throughout the concert, it was noticeable that whatever style of music was performed, the band adapted to it and produced some excellent interpretations of the music on offer.

The piece that stood out though was Corporal John Storey's performance of ‘Fantasia for Euphonium' by Gordon Jacob.  This was wonderful playing with the soloist producing a wonderful warm sound.  Originally written for euphonium and piano, it was re-scored for euphonium and band and tests the soloist.

It is music that probably didn't have the audience humming any of the melodies as they left the concert, but Corporal Storey's skills in the cadenzas will have made an impression.  The very last one testing his rhythm, fluidity and range was top draw.

After Reeds ‘Alleluia Laudamus Te' by Reed, the band and Major Jones concluded the concert with a brand new composition. Professor Peter Graham's music is accessible and adaptable to both brass and military bands.  Examples of this include ‘Gaelforce', ‘Hine e Hine' and ‘The Red Machine'.

This latest offering is called ‘The Winds of Time' and is an historical tribute to the Coldstream Guards and its music.  It has all those typical Graham musical trademarks; the accessibility of the music for any listener, and the ability to embrace familiar tunes such as ‘1812', Weber's ‘Oberon' with such subtlety that they are a joy to listen too.

A cracker of a concert had come to its conclusion.  The Guards band has been working extremely hard in recent weeks in preparation for this and other forthcoming concerts as it commences a busy period before a tour to Japan in late September.

Hopefully it won't be another year before the Guards band appears back at Salford where the winner is undoubtedly the quality of music-making on offer.

Malcolm Wood

^back to top