Conductor: Dr David Thornton
British Bandsman Concert Series
Reading Town Hall
Saturday 23rd November

Tough weather conditions didn’t deter fans of Black Dyke Band (who themselves endured a six-hour bus journey) in making their way to Reading Town Hall for a concert that deliberately appealed to Pondasher tastes.   

In contrast to the previous weekend’s Brass in Concert performances, the Queensbury band, led by Dr David Thornton, provided entertainment of a more traditional kind, including works by Ball, Bliss and Suppe interspersing excellent solo contributions and familiar ensemble features.

Bright sounds

The bright sounds of ‘Star Lake’  opened the first half followed by the classic overture ‘Poet and Peasant’,  the original violin passages played with dextrous articulation adding to the artistically played opening horn lead of Siobhan Bates.

Mike Cavanagh’s hallmark performances of Martin Ellerby’s ‘Baritone Concerto’  have almost made the work his signature. Yet again it was played with a superb mix of character and musicality in utilising the instrument’s range and tonal quality.

The first half was completed by a finely structured rendition of ‘Journey into Freedom’  – a welcome reprise of an audience favourite, at times briskly propelled, but still retaining its dramatically passionate heart.

The first half was completed by a finely structured rendition of ‘Journey into Freedom’  – a welcome reprise of an audience favourite, at times briskly propelled, but still retaining its dramatically passionate heart.

Immaculate construction

The immaculate construction of ‘Kenilworth’  by Bliss remains intact despite the passing years, the excellent solos features adding to the sense of majesty, pathos and pride.

The immaculate construction of ‘Kenilworth’  by Bliss remains intact despite the passing years, the excellent solos features adding to the sense of majesty, pathos and pride.

It offered a substantive prelude to a lighter second half that saw soloists Adam Warburton provide a ‘tug at the heartstrings’ ‘Londonderry Air’  even in a jazz idiom, Adam Bokaris’s rollicking ‘Rule Britannia’  and Gareth Hand’s whizz-bang ‘Robbin’ Harry'  on xylophone.

Easy listening

The ‘Strictly Black Dyke’  set offered dance move Saturday night easy listening entertainment with the trio of ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’,  ‘Libertango’  and ‘Bolero’  before the rousing sounds of Respighi’s ‘Pines of Rome’  brought things to a close.

The encore, ‘Highland Cathedral’  topped a fine concert that made the journey through Storm Bert well worth the battle. 

Fiona Bennett and John Heritage