Reg Vardy Band

Conductor: Ray Farr
Soloists: Mikeo Kanno (Violin) Andy Nercessian (Piano)
The Gala Theatre, Durham
Sunday 19th June 2005

Reg Vardy's appearance in this festival gave them the opportunity to perform repertoire that will be used for their challenge to become World Champions in Kerkrade in a couple of weeks.

Intriguingly for many of the audience, the pull of hearing Philip Wilby's new composition ‘Music For a Moving Image' in its World Premiere performance was enough for them to contend with torrential rain (that brought Durham's roads to a standstill) and head for the Gala Theatre on Sunday night.

The composer himself was present to hear a work that is fairly typical of the Wilby repertoire that we have become familiar with in recent years.  As you'd expect during the three-movement work, there is plenty for everybody to do, (no-one gets away unscathed) its fast and furious in parts, has beautiful lyrical moments and has references to pieces such as ‘Jazz' ‘Revelation' and ‘Lowry Sketchbook' (to name just three).

If this performance is anything to go by, then it is a composition that will take some playing in a couple of week's time.  Add to that, it is the kind of work that is likely to feature in competition away from Kerkrade, (and the composer speaking before a note had been played gave his thoughts on what a test piece should be for players, listeners and judges - and it was clear he'd written it for competition purposes) either as a set work or as an own choice.

On the evidence of the World premiere, the band and conductor seemed (fairly) happy with its airing, but they'll be working like Trojans over the next couple of weeks to produce that extra edge required of a contesting performance.

The new piece closed the first half that was all music from the pen of Philip Wilby.  The band's opening aperitifs were an opportunity to get inside the painter Lowry's mind with ‘Peel Park' and ‘Family Portraits' from ‘Lowry Sketchbook'.

Two soloists were featured during the night, and both of them played contrasting works to an exceptionally high standard.

First up was Mieko Kanno, who performed ‘Flight' originally written for flugel player, Mark Walters, but this time on the electronic violin.  This was wonderful stuff as the soloist was as instinctive and inspired in her performance of portraying everything connected with flight as Paul Collingwood was in earlier in the day when he caught Australia's Matthew Hayden at the cricket just a stones throw away.

Andy Nercessian though produced the performance of the night in Shostakovich's ‘Piano Concerto No 2 in F Major'. 

The soloist was completely at ease and in command of everything around him – including the band, with the concluding Andante and Allegro movements proving to be extremely memorable.

Mussorgsky's ‘Pictures at an Exhibition' concluded this challenging programme that wasn't without its untidy moments as tiredness crept in towards the end – to put it bluntly – the band looked nothing short of exhausted, but it had been a Herculean effort with this programme

‘Saber Dance' was chosen to demonstrate Reg Vardy in entertainment mode as the customary encore, wrapping up an excellent concert and testing work out for the band ahead of the challenge in Kerkrade.

If they can keep up this form then they should head back home with a nice big cup and the tag of ‘World Champions' to their name.

Malcolm Wood

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