Under the direction of guest conductor Mark Peacock, Hepworth opened with a vibrant run through its signature tune ‘Pratty Flowers’, before going straight into the fleet-footed Glinka overture ‘Russlan and Ludmilla’, played at a brisk tempo without losing the clarity of the ensemble detail.

Tonality

Mike Kilroy and Nick Giles performed the euphonium duet, ‘Softly As I Leave You’ with lyrical style and tonality before Andy Scott’s ‘Pacquito’ provided contrast with its catchy jazz inflections and upbeat pulse.

Solo horn Danny Powell was a lovely lead on ‘A Time for Peace’ by Peter Graham, allowing the music to flow with cultured phrasing, before the audience was back in foot tapping mode with ‘Breezin Down Broadway’ by Goff Richards.

Musical tastes

Contemporary musical tastes were catered for with the melancholic sounds of Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen’s, ‘Nocturne’, whilst the first half ended with the bold colours and textures of Dvorak’s ‘Slavonic Dance No 8’.

Breezy

The second half opened with Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s breezy, ‘Light Fantastic’ , before an early Christmas treat came with the timeless ‘Walking in the Air’.

Kath Bentham delivered a fizzing rendition of ‘Children of Sanchez’, before pacy excitement was generated with the Shostakovich, ‘Folk Festival’. 

Further contrast was delivered with the Karl Jenkins ‘Stabat Mater’, played with cultured emotion, before an enjoyable concert was rounded off with the festive ‘Troika’ and ‘Glorifico Aeternum’.

Dave Tinker