Tanunda Town Band 2007 Melodie-Nacht Concerts

25 & 26 May 2007
Guest Vocalists:
Elvis – Todd Martin
BVBVs - Deanna Polain, Celeste Hueppauff & Jessica Alderslade
Royal Garden Jazz Band - Peter Hooper, Dave Palmer, Warren Heading, Jonathan Hunt, Brian Gray & Bill Polain
TTB Hot Rhythm Combo -

Run on the last Friday and Saturday of May every year, Tanunda Town Bands now famous Melodie-Nacht concerts are quite possibly the longest continuously run large scale musical event in the country. This year's performances were the bands 41st Melodie-Nacht Concerts.

The Melodie-Nacht phenomenon all began in 1967. So the story goes a local business identity of the time approached the band to run a concert, with the idea that it had to be "A program of music that everyday people would want to hear – NOT Band Music!". Yes, well, a tall order for a brass band to hold a concert without band music, but it spawned the concept of a musical program that has now proved so successful that it's been held on the last Friday and Saturday of May every year for the last 41 years.

Indeed economic studies commissioned by the Tanunda Town Band have illustrated the benefits of large scale musical events to the Barossa Valley. (Not to mention the coffers of the band as well)

As in previous years, the draw card of the Melodie-Nacht Concerts, saw guests packed into Tanunda's famous ‘Tin Shed'. The tin shed is celebrated in banding circles and is unique as a venue for Concerts. A shell-grit floor provides for an interesting acoustic environment. The shed is transformed with staging, lighting and decorations. The hall is filled filled with long slender tables and this year with individual chairs as opposed to the uncomfortable wooden planks of old. Guest's come well prepared. Hampers of food and nibbles. Not to mention plenty of liquid refreshments.

When was the last time you read of a Brass Band attracting nearly a thousand guests to a band show, not to mention on 2 consecutive nights? Oh and to add to that, the tickets are largely pre-sold every year. Amazing stuff when you think about it.

This years Melodie-Nacht was ‘slick' and ‘fast paced'. It was if every aspect of the show had been carefully choreographed for maximum impact. Every band member was introduced as that musician walked on stage. You'd have to feel very special with such an introduction. 

Compere again this year was well known South Australian radio personality Tony Pilkington. Pilko's a  real crowd favorite with his rye sense of humor.

Tanunda Town Band commenced the evening  program with Cartoon Overture.

Alicia Ludi-Schutz has been the bands Principal Cornet for many years. This year the band selected Alicia to perform the very well known solo Napoli. The performance itself had its moments and Alicia will know precisely where those moments were. More to the point though, was this the band accompanying a soloist or a soloist accompanying a band? An important distinction perhaps.

James Pratt – Tenor with the State Opera, has been developing a fine relationship with the Tanunda Town Band.

Pratt hails from South Australia's Yorke Peninsula in the mid north. He has studied singing with Robert Dawe for eleven years, but currently lives in Sydney where he has taken up a scholarship to study at the Sydney Conservatorium. James has sung with the State Opera of South Australia for Parsifal, El Nino, Dead Man Walking, The Ring Cycle, La Traviata and La Boheme. As well as playing the principal roles of Tamino, Nanki, Poo, and Orfeo, James has conducted productions of The Sorcerer, Oliver, Camelot and Guy and Dolls.

He was the stand out performance from last year Melodie-Nacht Concerts, and so successful was this that he also performed at the Band's Classic's Concert late last year. It was no surprise, that the band invited him back again to perform at this year's Melodie-Nacht.  Pratt's rendition of Nessun Dorma was thrilling and there was nice backing from the band in the process.

The very famous Beatles number Penny Lane was an opportunity for Justin Kennedy on Soprano Cornet to shine as he emulated that very difficult Piccolo Trumpet segment in the piece. Kennedy is turning into a fine musician and really cementing a place on the Tanunda Cornet team.

Musical Director David Polain, has his mark stamped all over the James Bond Medley that followed. The Band performed this piece simultaneously to film segments on the big screens each side of the staging. Great stuff. Scene's from movies we hadn't seen in years.

Meshach is a tribute to the Tanunda Town Band's Melodie-Nacht sponsor Grant Burge Wines and was composed by Musical Director David Polain. The piece was first performed last year at the South Australian Band Championships, as a combined performance with Tanunda and K & N Spring Gully Brass.  It's an impressive piece, and still available for download on Tanunda's web pages. The Melodie-Nacht performance was first-rate.

Peter Hooper, Dave Palmer, Warren Heading, Jonathan Hunt, Brian Gray and Bill Polain are the musicians behind Royal Garden Jazz Band. This group entertained the Melodie-Nacht audience and combined with Tanunda for the piece High Society.

Todd Martin was Elvis and Elvis wowed the audience with a very impressive Viva Las Vegas and an American Trilogy. As compare Tony Pilkington quipped afterwards, ‘At least we knew where Elvis was keeping his mobile phone' Maybe you had to be there to understand that remark.

One of the wonderful things about Melodie-Nacht, and probably as famous as the show itself, is the Gluhwein! Such a tradition and a feature of the half time intermission. We'd smelt this delicious brew cooking from the side-room all evening. Compere Tony Pilkington has plenty to say about the ingredients every year, but lets just say, the warm spicy wine is truly superb and no one minds that the recipe is a well guarded secret.

The band was clearly on a roll, as intermission this year was kept to a minimum.

The show wouldn't be a Melodie-Nacht if the odd German Omm-pah number wasn't included.

The second half commenced with the regulatory Ein-Prosit and Bayerische Schuplattler.

BVBV is the combined singers of Deanna Polain, Celeste Hueppauff and Jessica Alderslade. These very charming young ladies delighted the audience with the well known Candyman, backed by the full band.

Gary Boland has recently returned to the Tanunda Town Band scene, from a stint with K & N Spring Gully Brass. He's a regarded soloist and this was evident with his performance of Body & Soul on Flugel, accompanied by Band.

James Pratt returned to the stage, and simply stunned the audience with the emotional The Music of the Night from the Phantom of the Opera.

Heavy was a Tuba Feature. Any why not, the instruments are such an important section of the band. Darren & Kathy Cameron, Martin van der Koogh, John Bartsch, Mike Magin and Adrienne Meikle had a lot of fun centre stage with this piece.  

The Post Horn Gallop is a difficult enough piece at the best of times. This year, Principal Cornet Jacob Staehr made it even more difficult when the piece was performance on an old rifle barrel. It was a little shaky but entertaining nonetheless and certainly very novel.

There was more German Omm-pah numbers. Beer Barrel Polka, Trink Trink and Liechtensteiner but to name a few.

Highland Cathedral is one of the few pieces that successfully enables Brass Band and Pipes to combine effectively. With the hall spot light firmly on the SA Pipes and Drums, the pipers entered the hall and weaved their way through the audience. The pipers and drums then emerged on stage to combine with band in performance. It was a defining moment of the night's concert and very very moving indeed.

Tanunda Town Band ended their 2007 Melodie-Nacht with plenty of thanks to their loyal sponsors and supporters. The show ended with Amigos Para Siempre, and yes, another Ein Prosit.

Congratulations must surely go to Musical Director David Polain for the many painstaking hours that must go into preparing for a Concert program of such variety. The evening very clearly had David's choreography stamped all over it. David has managed the show behind the scene's for years and as a past and now present Musical Director of the band knew exactly the formula for a successful concert program.

Throughout the evening, a string of Band and Musical Acts had kept the audience truly entertained.

The next major event for the Tanunda Town Band, is their Classic's Concert which will be held later this year and of course the 150th Celebratory State Band Competitions to be held in Tanunda on October 6th and 7th this year.

Members of the Tanunda Town Band returned to the Band Room for well some deserved celebrations and a 150th Birthday cake. It's not quite their official birthday yet. This all happens on October the 6th this year. It's an occasion you'll not want to miss.

Andrew Stone

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