Twelve months ago, Brighouse & Rastrick's annual Spring concert was blighted by the unseasonable wintry weather that gripped the UK.

Appreciative

Thankfully, a year later and with just a few showers of rain filtering through the dusky night air, Huddersfield Town Hall was filled with an appreciative audience who thoroughly enjoyed their evening of music making.

The 2014 Yorkshire Champion opened the evening’s proceedings by giving a hint of what the evening had in store, as five members of their newly formed youth band donned the famous purple jackets to sit in with the senior counterparts for an unforgettable musical experience.

Youth

The emphasis on youth was further enhanced by the evening’s guests - the quite remarkable Halifax Young Singers, whilst the Peter Pan of brass bands, Richard Evans was centre stage and at his brilliant best, resplendent in a dapper white jacket as he mixed jokes and anecdotes with easy listening repertoire perfectly pitched to meet the audience’s expectations.

'Where Our Flag Waves' to open was full of swaggering Germanic pomposity was followed by a colourful rendition of 'Le Carnival Romain', which was infused with ensemble vibrancy, topped by the superb euphonium solo lead of David Thornton.

Evocative

Sheona White produced an evocative 'Demelza' before the band concluded the first half with the easy listening trio of 'Molly on the Shore', 'Morning' from Grieg's 'Peer Gynt' and musical birthday wishes to Paul Lovatt-Cooper courtesy of his 'Vitae Aeturnum'.

The inspirational Halifax Young Singers (made up of youngsters aged 8-21) were as vibrant and brilliant as their reversible waistcoats.

Performing in both halves, their selections, sung in English and Latin (and all from memory) with superb diction and articulation of phrasing were examples of choral singing at its very best - a fact not lost on a knowledgeable audience.

Dedicated

After the interval, JJ Richards' American circus march, 'The Waltonian', was followed by the 'Elegy' from Vinter's 'Entertainments', which was dedicated to the respected brass band journalist, Ron Massey, who recently passed away.

David Thornton enjoyed himself in his solo spotlight of 'Carnival Cocktail', before some beautiful quartet playing in 'The Irish Blessing' was the meat in the sandwich of 'Blue Rondo a la Turk' and a favourite finisher of the MD, the 'Finale' from Tchaikovsky's symphony, 'The Little Russian'.

Richard Evans bid farewell before the band encored with the 'Floral Dance', to send the audience on its way after an evening of the highest quality brass and choral entertainment.

Malcolm Wood