Brighouse & Rastrick brought British Summer Time to a close with the ladies from Boobs & Brass joining them on the stage of Huddersfield Town Hall for the latest concert in a massed band series that started in 1946.
Alan Morrison was at the helm for the majority of the evening and had selected a programme that certainly entertained the large audience from the first note til last.
Traditional structure
With over eighty players on stage, the opening massed band items had a traditional structure: Alford's march, 'The Thin Red Line' followed by the patriotic overture, 'Rule Britannia'.
Brighouse top man, Stuart Lingard was the fine featured soloist in Peter Meechan's 'Milestone', before the audience got a rare treat - the playing of a waltz at a brass band concert. Lehar's 'Gold and Silver' was a touch of stylish nostalgia captured so well.
Pink ladies
Following a stage reset, Stan Lippeatt stepped forward to conduct over fifty ‘pink’ ladies in individual items introduced by their wonderfully enthusiastic compere, Carolyn Oldershaw.
Carolyn's passion for the band (and its charitable cause) was matched by the players, as they delivered Curnow's 'Ceremonial Fanfare Number 1' that neatly linked into the hymn, 'Abide with Me'.
The old Black Beauty television theme 'Galloping Home' paved the way for a change of mood and the first chance of the evening to reflect and remember.
Flanders Field
On the 100th anniversary of the Great War and with Remembrance Day drawing near, Gavin Somerset's setting of the poem 'In Flanders Fields' was beautifully delivered: You could have heard a pin drop.
In contrast, 'Firebell Polka', provided fun and laughter with Mary Golder as the campanologist soloist, before the band concluded its set with Ronan Hardiman's 'Lord of the Dance' - complete with some terrific light-footed Irish dancing from Chloe Collins.
Fine fettle
Having recently secured their fifth consecutive podium finish at the Royal Albert Hall, the home team responded in fine fettle under Alan Morrison’s precise direction.
The Grand March from Wagner's 'Tannhauser' and 'La Forza del Destino' produced plenty of high class playing, although the best was yet to come - with David Thornton's rendition of 'In Christ Alone' - worth the cost of the entry ticket alone.
With the MD's own arrangement of the Drifters classic, 'Save the Last Dance for Me' and Alan Fernie's upbeat take on the hymn, 'The Old Rugged Cross', the final segment of the night came with the two bands back on stage to perform a trio of classic Denis Wright arrangements, as 'Fantasia on British Sea Songs' was followed by the lovely cornet sound of Stuart Lingard in 'Nimrod'.
Forty year encore
Alan Morrison then acknowledged that it was forty years since he'd played in his first massed band concert - where one of the oldest and still one of the best old war horses, the '1812' overture was played: It’s reprise still manages to shake the bones.
There was only ever going to be one encore, and the familiar 'Floral Dance' sent the crowd home happy (and emptying their pockets for the Breast Cancer Charity) from an excellent concert.
Malcolm Wood
