Cory concert – Oxford Town Hall – Sunday 15th January 2023
The first concert of the year for The Bandsman and I was very much looking forward to joining the sell-out audience at Oxford Town Hall, a concert promoted by ‘Music at Oxford'. Great to see the event well attended by local and not so local bands people, some familiar faces around the room. Events like this are very infrequent so hopefully this will encourage more of the same in the future.
A warm welcome for the band as they enter the stage by walking through the audience. The band are seated and after some housekeeping announcements we welcome Philip Harper.
The Field of the Cloth of Gold - Philip Harper A perfect opening to suit the wonderful acoustic of the Town Hall, every inch of the hall filled with the sound of brass and percussion and makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, appreciated by the audience.
Philip Harper is a very good master of ceremonies and his explanation of the pieces really sets the scene well. This was followed by Rhapsodic Variations: My Strength My Tower - Dean Goffin A piece full of great contrasts and such a well written ‘masterpiece’ made to sound so easy by the band, a piece that has everything and the playing really made the most of the composers work.
I Will Follow Thee - Wilfred Heaton - Cornet: Tom Hutchinson Arranged for Brass Band by Paul Hindmarsh and a World Premier today. The full and beautiful sound of Tom Hutchinson comes across so well in the venue, lovely flow and control makes every note a delight and it looks so effortless. A piece written when William Heaton was just 13 and you hear his wonderful touch mixed with some very ‘Heaton’ moments which are even more impressive when you consider the age of the composer. Quite rightly the final note was greeted by a huge wave of applause. The final piece before the interval was Saints Triumphant - Philip Wilby the piece used for the European Championships, Cory are looking forward to defending their title in Malmo in 2023 in Sweden. A piece that pushes the band to the extreme and is so well controlled and balanced. A big piece for the band to finish the first half, but a challenge well met and appreciated by the audience. A great end to the first half.
The 2nd half started with Thunderbirds are GO! - Barry Gray, arr. Edrich Siebert, this half of the concert was described by Philip Harper as the Radio 2 half of the concert with the 1st half being more radio 3. Starting the 2nd half with Thunderbirds was greeted with a lot of smiles around the audience. Viva Cymru – Variations on Cwm Rhondda - John Hughes, arr. Philip Harper - Cornet and Euphonium Duet: Tom Hutchinson and Glyn Williams This is a great arrangement that works well with players at their very best, Tom and Glyn really got this and the balance and style worked well and really gave the audience a ‘WOW’ moment. This was followed by Deep River - Arr. William Broughton, moving from Wales to America was a good switch with a different style of piece, another well received performance and showed another dimension of the band. The Rings of Saturn - Philip Harper - Featuring: Helen Williams and Hannah Plumridge
This is without doubt the piece of the concert for me, having heard this at Brass in Concert I was looking forward to hearing it again and for me the control and balance of the band is just a delight, with key players in different parts of the hall the effect works well, I adore this piece, so well written and so well executed, an absolute delight and worth the entry fee alone. A piece that was popular with the audience, especially those that had the pleasure of Helen or Hannah playing near them.
The final feature item was Romanza - Henry Geehl, Trombone: Chris Thomas. Chris makes everything look so effortless, a master of the Trombone and the piece comes across so well, a real ‘sit back and enjoy’ piece that was once again enjoyed by the assembled gathering. This took us to a more light-hearted piece which was both well played and well-choreographed with a real fun element which was very well received. Walk Like an Egyptian - Liam Sternberg, arr. Philip Harper, this went down well with some extra applause. A Doctor Who Fantasy - Ron Grainer, arr. Philip Harper from the bands recent performance at Brass in Concert was the last scheduled piece of the concert but at the playing of the last note the audience started to rise in appreciation of the band and the great concert they had just witnessed, the band couldn’t leave without an encore and the audience were treated to an extra piece before another rousing round of applause brought the concert to a close.
The audience conversation as we queued to leave was good to hear ‘what a wonderful concert’, ‘a great choice of pieces’, ‘that was amazing, I have never been to a brass band concert before’, ‘I hope they come back again soon, it was great’… just some of the comments I overheard. I had not even got back to my car and messages were already coming in about organising a return for the band with a masterclass over the same weekend, the concert has certainly sparked some great conversation in the Oxford area.
