Afternoon of Brass
KNDS Fairey Band
Conductor: Philip Chalk
The Garden Rooms at Tennants
Leyburn
Monday 16th September

The KNDS Fairey Band provided a hugely enjoyable ‘Afternoon of Brass’ in the Garden Rooms at Tennants. 

Led by their personable conductor who ensured that the intimately seated audience was kept entertained and informed throughout, the excellent playing was aided by exceptional soloists. 

Eclectic

It was an eclectic programme; the bold opening march, ‘Knight Templar’  followed by the evocative overture ‘Land of the Mountain and the Flood’.

Trombonist Rebecca Lundberg’s sublime ‘My Funny Valentine’  was subtly commanding in its styling, before ‘Climb Every Mountain’  brought the first half to an uplifting close.

Principal cornet Iain Culross delivered a stunning rendition of Levy’s ‘Grand Russian Fantasia’  before being joined by his colleagues for a whiplash ‘Hora Staccato’.  A hauntingly tranquil ‘Japanese Slumber Song’  and the Latin rhythms of ‘Fantasia on Tico Tico’  brought further contrasts and appreciation of styles.

Trombonist Rebecca Lundberg’s sublime ‘My Funny Valentine’  was subtly commanding in its styling, before ‘Climb Every Mountain’  brought the first half to an uplifting close.

Contrasts

A choreographed Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ cleverly drew the audience back to its seats for a second half of yet more contrasts.

‘All Night Long’  was one last enjoyably unexpected genre detour before ‘Baba Yaga’  and the ‘Great Gate of Kiev’  brought prolonged applause and the encore of ‘Perpetuum Mobile’. 

That saw the sultry tango of ‘Libertango’  and Emma Conway’s rich horn lyricism on ‘One Day in your Life’  was balanced by the delicate ‘Little Serenade’  and euphonium Peter McDonough displaying amazing virtuosity with ‘Glorious Liberation’.

‘All Night Long’  was one last enjoyably unexpected genre detour before ‘Baba Yaga’  and the ‘Great Gate of Kiev’  brought prolonged applause and the encore of ‘Perpetuum Mobile’. 

Sandy Baxter