Amsterdam Staff Band

Conductor: Bandmaster Howard Evans
Kettering SA
Tuesday 7th June

The Salvation Army's founder, William Booth said: "Music is to the soul what the wind is to the sails".

Formed in 1961 the Amsterdam Staff Band has built themselves a reputation as one of the Salvation Army's finest brass bands.

My first recollection of the Amsterdam Staff Band was on their visit to Northern Ireland in 1993 under the leadership of Peter Ayling. This concert was the second concert as part of a UK tour the band has embarked on culminating in the performance at the annual Gospel Arts Concert in the Royal Albert Hall alongside the International Staff Band on Saturday 11th June.

The band has had many fine conductors at the helm over the years, including Dick Krommenhoek, Peter Ayling and Don Jenkins. At present the band's driving force is Bandmaster Howard Evans who is very well qualified, having gained music degrees, diplomas and at present is completing his MA in conducting with Professor David King at Salford University.

After a gap from hearing the ASB for twelve years I was looking forward to hearing them again.
 
The band assembled on stage at Kettering SA and struck into a lively performance of Dean Jones' ‘Glorifico Aeternum' which Howard Evans extracted many fine details from the score.

I was immediately struck by the very fine playing of the band's flugel horn player Menno Van der Woude and the excellent foundation provided by the band's bass section. If anything, the soprano cornet was a little light for the rest of the band, however this splendid opening number led into the introductions for the evening.

There then followed Aagaard – Nilsen's arrangement  ‘Vitae Luxfeaturing' the star flugel player and Dudley Bright's ‘In Good Company' which had some very crisp trombone work and great support from the bass section. Bandmaster Evans described this work as Henry the VIII meets the modern day Church of England – and he wasn't wrong!

William Himes needs no introduction to the SA or secular brass band world as his arrangements are widely known and loved, and he provided the bands next piece, ‘Sacrifice'; devotional and meditative in quality and which was taken from Himes' large scale SA brass band work ‘To the Chief Musician'. For me this was the highlight of the evening so far and the climaxes the conductor made during this piece left several hairs on my back stand on end, especially towards the end where the band "hummed" the last chord.

This led into Prayers offered by the band's Executive Officers, Major Germen and Frouktje Stoffers. There followed Bandmaster's Evans' own work entitled, ‘Chassidic Dance' which is based on one of Howard's own songs he wrote years ago. This cheeky work has a real Cossack charm to it and builds into a thrilling climax complete with a "hoi" shouted from the band.

'Doyle's Lament' written for Black Dyke's star flugel horn player John Doyle then followed; once again featuring the beautiful lyrical playing of Menno van der Woude.

To finish the first half of the programme, Bandmaster Evans chose selected movements from Peter Graham's exciting ‘Windows of the World'. Originally written for Professor King and the YBS band, this work paints the pictures of various different cultures and in our multi-cultural world, this work was most enjoyable and finished off the first half in great style and gusto. Special mention should be made of the fine work from the band's Solo Euphonium Simon Smedinga in the ‘Celtic Dream' movement and in the final movement, the percussion section including Rutger Snippe, Robbert Marseille and well known brass band CD graphic designer Gerard Klaucke.

The second half was somewhat unorthodox for an SA band and credit must be given to Bandmaster Evans for the bold decision in using a collection of works biblically linked into a large scale continuous work which takes its inspiration from the liturgy of the ‘Requiem Mass'. Many fine composers such as Verdi, Mozart and in particular Berlioz have exploited the liturgy of the ‘Requiem Mass' and have created great works. The second half created a Salvationist response – one where hope is the outstanding virtue of what we believe and live for.

The format was:-
Kyrie – Band Song – He is here
Dies Irae – Revelation 11: 15 & 19 – Elegiac Variations mvt 3 (Howard Evans)
Confutatis – Psalm 139: 7-10 – Euph Solo - Precious Thoughts (Howard Evans)
Offertoria – He is Exalted (Robinson arr. Cordner)
Agnus Dei – Revelation 7: 13-15 – Trombone Solo – When I survey
Congregational Song – Whiter than the Snow
Pie Jesu – John 14: 27 – Cornet Solo - Pie Jesu (Faure arr. Norbury)
Libera Me – Revelation 21: 1-4 – The Dawning (Peter Graham)
Benediction – Irish Blessing (Joyce Ellers Bacak arr. Bradnum)

The evening was rounded off by one of John Philip Sousa's well known marches entitled The Salvation Army March transcribed for brass band by legendary Ray Steadman-Allen.

I left Kettering Citadel having heard one of the SA's finest Staff bands perform a God glorifying programme which was fresh and inspiring. Credit and thanks to B/M Evans for his fine directing of this band of fine SA musicians who are without a doubt one of the finest brass bands in mainland Europe.

Jonathan Corry

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