Gresley Colliery Band
24-Jun-2006Conductor: Chris Smith
Overseal
Sunday 11th June
On what was a very warm evening indeed saw the Gresley Colliery Band perform at Overseal to a full and appreciative audience despite the World Cup matches been played that evening.
In the absence of now departed David Hutchinson the band were taken by Bandmaster Chris Smith who showed that he did not let standards drop in any shape or form.
The band got the concert underway with the march Arnhem, followed by Irving Berlin's ‘Puttin On The Ritz' in the arrangement by Stephen Roberts. This led nicely into a feature for Karl Eames, the band's solo euphonium who played ‘Largo Al Factotum' which was given a fine rendition. ‘One Voice' was next up after and the band displayed a nice warm sound and good balance.
It was once more solo time and Peter Hylton showed that he was a real "Wanderin Star" in the clever arrangement by Alan Fernie for Eb Bass. ‘Chanson d' Amour', ‘Chicken Run', and ‘Music' by John Miles finished off a very fine display in the first half by the band.
The second half restarted after a much deserved break with a stunning display of ‘Malaguena', the band perhaps wanting and hoping that David Hutchinson would hear this one in Spain!
Breakout from ‘Cry Of The Celts' followed this before a double feature with Karl Eames (Euph) and Fay Bayliss (Bass Tromb) in "I Only have Eyes for You", the ever popular ‘Kalinka' and ‘Gaelic Blessing'.
It then was the turn of the audience who led the singing with ‘Fantasia on British Sea Songs', ‘Jerusalem' and ‘Pomp and Circumstance'. The band finished off with an encore of ‘Radetsky March'.
