Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Llewellyn Hall, August 8, 2015.
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Rapid percussion announced the arrival on stage of each member of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, culminating in tides of joyous brass sound sweeping to the heights and depths of Llewellyn Hall in Eventus, written by Paul Lovatt-Cooper. Glinka's Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila followed, with beautiful contrast between the hard-edged silver melody line and the inner warmth of brass in the long chord accompaniments. The power of massed brass instruments brought to life by the breath of highly skilled musicians produces an extraordinarily powerful effect to unlock the emotions. The thrill of hearing such strength and virtuosity was splendidly uplifting.
Iain Culross acquitted himself stylishly with the cornet solo in Carnival of Venice, followed by the band's signature theme: Death or Glory – sounding like a muster of all the angelic hosts of several heavens. Consolidating the references to the film Brassed Off, the band performed Grainger's arrangement of Londonderry Air, keeping a freshness in their approach which is commendable considering how many times they must have played this tune.
Perhaps my favourite piece of the evening was Will Norman's version on flugelhorn as soloist in Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez – although Shaun Crowther very neatly stole the show with his ridiculously funny, virtuosic performance on the E-flat bass of The Bass in the Ballroom. The much-played Finale from the William Tell Overture was revived to crackle with rifle fire as the upper brass led the charge and redefined the drama in this work.
After the interval, director Robert Childs succeeded in whipping the audience into delivering a resounding chorus of Land of Hope and Glory to be followed by Peter Graham's Fantasy on Rule Britannia – much enhanced by the addition of Advance Australia Fair into the arrangement and nicely executed by Michael Dodd and Philippe Schwartz on euphoniums.
Dan Price's Peacemakers was a finely crafted work with an intricate motive played by the trumpets and effective use of mutes to create contrasting timbre. It incorporated reference to Morse-code patterns and a narration, layering ideas in the soundscape. Chris Gomersall's trombone solo in Charlie Chaplin's Smile was a pleasant change of mood, contrasting glockenspiel with the trombone.
Karl Jenkin's For the Fallen is a marvellous composition, interweaving the well known theme of the Last Post into a new and moving fabric of brass sounds. The use of four solo trumpets was most effective, translating loss into a triumph of the human spirit over death. A tribute to Glenn Miller was very well received, the band performing with their hallmark crisp discipline and inventive choreography to make these well-known tunes their own.
It is hard to beat the 1812 Overture as a finale, and this version soared to a tremendous conclusion and a standing ovation – followed by two sizzling encores. This was a night of grand music and great spirit – a tribute to the original musicians who first formed the band in 1917 to raise their spirits and hone their talents after long hours in the mines.
