The imposing Hofburg Palace contains within its walls what is considered by many Austrians to be ‘the most beautiful inner courtyard in Innsbruck’ - a masterpiece of Baroque reconstruction whose sculptural elements can at times outshine the world class performers who take to the stage for the city’s annual Promenade Concert series.

However, there was no such threat of that with Black Dyke in the opinion of the 3000 or so people packed into its confines for a concert that bristled with energy and entertainment in equal measure.

Baroque splendour

The Queensbury band set out its stall with a touch of Baroque splendour of its own; ornate technical playing decorating the solid ensemble structures, all expertly balanced in the booming acoustic by Prof Childs at the helm.  

He had chosen a programme to cater for all tastes - a trio of classics from the Strauss family to add to the familiar favourites of Puccini, Verdi and Fucik, all added to by the sugary fizz of Leroy Anderson and Harold Walters and a touch of Union-Jack patriotism with Gordon Langford. 

The crowd loved it – clapping along to ‘Entry of the Gladiators’, swaying back and forth to the languid waltz tempo of ‘The Blue Danube’ and almost forgetting the UKs Brexit troubles with a rousing rendition of ‘Great British Marches’.

The crowd loved it – clapping along to ‘Entry of the Gladiators’, swaying back and forth to the languid waltz tempo of ‘The Blue Danube’ and almost forgetting the UKs Brexit troubles with a rousing rendition of ‘Great British Marches’.

Orchestral authenticity

Appreciation was shown for the excellent solo contributions from Richard Marshall with a commanding ‘Nessun Dorma’ and Brett Baker’s ‘Pryortechnic’ ‘Fantastic Polka’, whilst there were cheers for the double helping cornet trios of ‘Bugler’s Holiday’ and ‘Trumpets Wild’.

Those familiar strains of ‘Festmusik der Stadt Wien’, the ‘Grand March’ from ‘Aida’ and ‘Thunder and Lightening Polka’ had a stamp of orchestral authenticity, whilst ‘Die Fledermaus’, deliciously cooked with lightweight excitement like a local apple strudel, brought prolonged applause. 

The closing swagger of ‘Mack & Mabel’ rounded things off in style. The acclaim of the standing ovation could have been heard on the summit of the Kleiner Solstein mountain.

Markus Tollmann