Michelmersh Silver

Classic Brass Concert
Conductors: Melvin White & Roland Wright
Romsey Abbey
Saturday 5th June

On what was a beautifully warm early summer’s evening, some 200 people made their way to the lovely Romsey Abbey to listen to Michelmersh Silver Band in concert.

Carefully chosen

The carefully chosen title of ‘Classic Brass’ gave the band the opportunity to play an eclectic mix of music from Gershwin to Shostakovitch via Philip Sparke and Peter Graham, with conducting honours shared between professional Musical Director, Melvin White and Resident Conductor, Roland Wright.

With players in a concert formation, Richard Strauss’s ‘Festmusik der Stadt Wein’ heralded the start of the first half of a programme which also included principal cornet Jan Boler playing a haunting rendition of Peter Graham’s ‘A Time For Peace’, provoking one of those magic moments when a few seconds of spellbound silence elapse before the audience bursts into cheers and applause.

Guest soloist

Guest soloist for the evening was BBC Young Brass Soloist of the Year 2010, Matthew White.

Matthew lists Michelmersh as his first contesting band and reminisced with the audience about his memories of playing in the trio, ‘Mexican Hat Dance’ perched on high stool to make up the height difference and to enable him to hold the euphonium that was nearly as big as he was at 9 years of age!

Matthew introduced his first piece, Philip Sparke’s 'Harlequin' as a piece he had wanted to play as soon as he heard it – mainly because it was so fast!

And fast it certainly was in places – much to the delight and admiration of the audience!

Authentic America

The band ended the first half with the exciting piece by Dan Price, ‘An American Tale’, featuring many iconic melodies and a guest appearance by Pennsylvania-born Annie Reilly providing an authentic accent for the poignant narration of the American Civil War.

The box of brass delights continued, as the trombone quartet, Bone-a-Fide Brass entertained them throughout the interval.

The second half opened with the march, ‘Emblem of Unity’, followed by the Philip Sparke’s ‘The Saga of Haakon the Good’, the work which the band won the Wessex First Section title in 2009.

Melodic

Retaining the baton, Melvin White then conducted Matthew White (no relation) in a beautifully melodic performance of ‘Michaelangelo’ - a Norwegian pop song written by Sigvart Dagsland.

For his final offering Matthew performed Peter Graham’s ‘Bravura’, closing with band members and audience applauding a truly amazing virtuoso performance.

The lollipop encore was a self-penned piece of free expression during which he produced a range of sounds from his instrument seldom heard.

To close a highly enjoyable evening, the band opted to settle things down with Goff Richards’ arrangement of Brodszky’s ‘I’ll Walk With God’ before being joined by Matthew and launching in to their finale piece, ‘Glorifico Aeturnum’ by Dean Jones.

Entertained

With echoes of the enthusiastic applause still ringing around the Abbey, the encore was ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ by Louis Prima.

For Matthew, band members and supporters it was straight from one Abbey to another – the Abbey Hotel that is – for a few celebratory drinks, old photos and plenty of stories to embarrass the current BBC Young Brass Soloist of the Year with, whilst for the concert goers it was perhaps home buoyed by the knowledge that they had been very royally entertained.  
 
Claire Topp

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