Black Dyke Band
Conductor: Prof Nicholas J. Childs
Soloists: Siobhan Bates, Gareth Hand
Doyen Recordings: CD434
Black Dyke’s most recent tour to Japan (34 years after their first) was both a significant musical as well as commercial success.
Concerts in venues such as the NHK and Sumida Triphony Halls in Tokyo were marked not only by an exponential increase in their Japanese fan base, but also by a welcome boost to British trade exports with the eager purchase of CDs and merchandise - chief amongst them this cleverly produced release.
Polish
It's done its job perfectly; an immediate reminder (also linked to a free download of the release) of their easy listening concert repertoire, as well as that of their proud contesting heritage which comes with the inclusion of Edward Gregson’s ‘Of Men and Mountain’ on which they won the 2023 National Championships of Great Britain.
The polish is unmistakable, even if doesn’t need to have the deepest of lustres on the likes of ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’, ‘Fire in the Blood’, ‘Above and Beyond’ and ‘Bolero’. There is however a substantive quality about the delivery of ‘Celebration Fanfare’, ‘Poet and Peasant’, delivered with flourish, and ‘Hymn for Bram’, as well as with the classy contributions of featured soloists Siobhan Bates (horn) and Gareth Hand (xylophone).
the breadth of the MDs interpretation encapsulating the sense of natural majesty of the Rocky Mountains seen from the window of a Trans Canadian Railway carriage.
Natural majesty
Gregson’s ‘Of Men and Mountains’ is performed on the widest of landscape canvases; the breadth of the MDs interpretation encapsulating the sense of natural majesty of the Rocky Mountains seen from the window of a Trans Canadian Railway carriage.
The rugged glory and bucolic beauty evoked is a reminder to the listener of the magnitude of human insignificance even in conquering its topography.
Iwan Fox
To purchase:
CD: https://www.worldofbrass.com/102195
Download: https://www.worldofbrass.com/102195-download
Wobplay: http://www.wobplay.com
Play list:
1. Celebration Fanfare (Edward Gregson)
2. Poet and Peasant (Franz Von Suppe)
3. Upon Green Vales (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)
Soloist: Siobhan Bates
4. Sweet Georgia Brown (arr. Goff Richards)
5. Robbin’ Harry (Lawrence Inns)
Soloist: Gareth Hand
6. Fire in the Blood (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)
7. Hymn for Bram (Peter Graham)
8. Above and Beyond (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)
9. Bolero (Ravel arr. Howard Snell)
10. Of Men and Mountains (Edward Gregson)
