Last updated 05:36, Friday, 04 July 2008

Lanercost Festival – Besses o’ th’ BarnThe stirring strains of the traditional march Knight Templar provided a fitting opening to the entertaining programme brought by Besses o’ th’ Barn, one of the foremost names in banding circles.

Under the baton of charismatic musical director, John North, there was something for everyone with music ranging from the classics, with Mozart’s Magic Flute and Vaughan Williams’ Prelude 49th Parallel, through jazz – with Duke Ellington’s Caravan – to Broadway, and music from Mack and Mabel, Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar.

In addition there was a contemporary piece entitled Where Eagles Sing, composed for brass bands in 2006 and inspired by composer Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s encounter with an American bald eagle during a visit to a Florida bird sanctuary. The glorious, soaring melody, expressively played, depicts the grace and grandeur of this bird in free flight and was greatly appreciated by the audience.

Two soloists were featured, both offering beautiful, slow melodies. Cornet-player Matthew Sale played Share My Yoke, an arrangement of a Salvation Army choral work and euphonium-player Amy Schumaker presented Michelangelo by Norwegian composer Sigvart Digsland. Both were sensitively played and sympathetically accompanied by the band with controlled ensemble playing.

An addition to the printed programme, a splendid arrangement of the hymn tune St Clement’s, showcased the band’s subtlety, technical ability and power. The concert’s joyous encore, The Floral Dance, had the audience heartily clapping along with the band.

This wonderful concert showed how versatile a brass band can be, offering rich variations in style, tone, colour and sound in equal measure. It did much to enhance the reputation of both the band and the Lanercost Festival.

DAVID DRURY