Brighouse & Rastrick made the trip from Yorkshire to the Snape Maltings Hall on the banks of the Rive Ade in Suffolk to perform as part of the Britten Pears Arts Complex Autumn series of concerts and attractions.

The scope of its artistic schedule has a remarkable eclecticism; reinterpreted Schumann, experimental and anti-opera, jazz and contemporary dance, as well as a gala concert from the area’s county music groups, installation electronics and ‘visual soundscapes’.  

It also attracts an informed (and sizeable) audience - open minded, inquisitive and highly appreciative of quality performances.  

Well attuned

Without straying into overly adventurous waters, the West Riding band gave a well-attuned concert under Ian McElligott - the brace of opening Nordic salvos provided by Fredrick Schjelderup’s ‘Concert Prelude Festivitas’  and Johan Svendsen’s ‘Overture - Norwegian Artistes’ Carnival’  – the latter played with a buff of polished, romantic brio.

 the truly romanticised visions of the ‘western’ film genre in Bruce Broughton’s ‘Silverado’  and the ‘Ruritanian’ coronation glories of Walton’s ‘Crown Imperial’  – the ensemble providing rich, panoramic tonal colourings throughout, topped by a brilliant soprano cornet.   

A further linked pairing came with the ‘sacred & secular’ of ‘Lux Aurumque’  and ‘Bacchanal’  from Eric Whitacre and Alexander Glazunov, as well as the truly romanticised visions of the ‘western’ film genre in Bruce Broughton’s ‘Silverado’  and the ‘Ruritanian’ coronation glories of Walton’s ‘Crown Imperial’  – the ensemble providing rich, panoramic tonal colourings throughout, topped by a brilliant soprano cornet.   

Familiar sounds

The quartet of classy soloists delivered confidently on limited repertoire though – their obvious talents (as was also shown throughout) somewhat constrained by the offerings of ‘Demelza’, ‘Oblivion’, ‘In the Small Wee Hours’  and ‘Dreamsong’.  It was left to Jack Stamp’s ‘Fanfare Gavorkna’  and the tango inflections of a Piazzolla shocase to endorse the ensemble’s command of stylistic nuance. 

The familiar sounds of Hollywood and Holst in ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’  and ‘Jupiter’  from ‘The Planets’  rounded off an enjoyable concert with the added bit of Brighouse tradition of the ‘Floral Dance’  encore.

Peter Brown