Karl Sievers, Reporter
I will confess that the Friday evening performance of the Black Dyke Band was the highlight of my week at the ITG Conference in Manchester. Being well acquainted with their stunning recordings, it was simply a thrill to hear them in person. My close friend Randy Paul has always told me that “audiences want to see the performer having fun,” and he is absolutely right about that. In similar fashion to the way Canadian Brass completely entertains their audiences, so does the Black Dyke Band, combining fabulous, virtuosic artistry with sheer exuberance and delight.
The concert opened with the Midwest march by J. J. Richards, satisfying the expected programming tradition in fine style. Russlan and Ludmilla by Glinka followed, at a tempo approaching warp speed, and positively nailed at that. We were off! Interspersed in the rest of the program were feature solo appearances by three very fine soloists, beginning with Roger Webster’s world premiere of Philip Wilby’s Concerto 1945. Mr. Webster lived up to his reputation by doing a great job on this piece, which was demanding in every parameter. 
Edward Gregson’s Trumpets of the Angels followed, closing out the first half. Trumpeters (not cornetists!) were place around the back of the stage and above the stage in the balconies, each in turn having extended, highly intervallic, and often a capella, solos. The quantity of terrific players participating in this program is testament to the very healthy tradition of great brass playing in England – and many of them were very young as well.
After introducing the second half of the program with a stirring rendition of Williams’ Olympic Fanfare, we met Carl Saunders, our second soloist of the evening. His featured piece was Clear Skies, by Eric Ball, and was in the more traditional Salvation Army style. Mr. Saunders’s playing was beautifully lyric and elegant, some of the most tasteful playing heard during a week of great taste! His performance was enthusiastically received.
The next composition took us in a completely different direction, featuring Danny Barber’s pyrotechnic work on Bizet’s Carmen Suite with the sound of the English Brass Band. Barber’s performance featured a scintillating sound and total ownership of the high range of the trumpet. This was an exciting performance!
The substantial program ended with Peter Graham’s Call of the Cossacks, which began with only the percussion section on the
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Roger Webster
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stage. One-by-one the sections returned, playing riffs in counterpoint to one another. In five sections overall, this work eventually featured virtually every member of the band, giving this wonderful organization the chance to really show off the virtuosity of its members. Even the audience got in on this one, clapping to the beat of the Russian dance figures.
This was truly an entertaining evening!
