Gala Charity Concert. 6th December 2003

Programme
The Band
Pictures

Grand March from 'Aďda' Trumpets - Laura Gregory & Elspeth Hackett	Verdi arr. Denis Wright
'A Children's Overture' Featuring a Kid’s Quiz !	Roger Quilter arr. Denis Wright
Bugler's Holiday (Cornet Trio) Featuring: James Gordon, Roger Bleach & Maggie Stallybrass	Leroy Anderson arr. Roger Barsotti
The Snowman & Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer	Howard Blake Johnny Marks
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	John Williams arr. Steve Sykes
Feelin' Good Flugel Horn -Sarah Smith	Nina Simone
Hodie (A Christmas Selection	arr. Michael Gray

Interval

Florentiner Marshe	Julius Fucik
Concerto for Oboe Oboe—Caroline Lovett	Arcangelo Corelli Themed by John Barbirolli
Sleigh Ride	Leroy Anderson arr. Ernest Tomlinsoni
Someone to Watch Over Me Vocal—Emma Gray	George Gershwin
Rejoice Greatly Vocal—Emma Gray Oboe—Caroline Lovett	G.F.Handel
A Christmas Holiday Festival Featuring Emma Gray, James Gordon, Lauren Staddon, and children	arr. Michael Gray

Programme Notes

The opening two pieces in tonight’s concert are arrangements by Dr Denis Wright, who (as stated in the foreward earlier) was conductor of CPB during a successful spell during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

The Grand March from ‘Aida’ is the well known march from Verdi’s opera ‘Aida’ which was premiered at La Scala, Milan in 1871.

A Children’s Overture is a collection of children’s favourite nursery rhyme tunes pulled together by Roger Quilter (1877-1953), who was a renowned English song composer of his time, who had one of his early works Songs of the Sea premiered at the Crystal Palace in March 1901. Originally an orchestral piece, this was subsequently arranged for brass band by Dr Denis Wright.

Our cornet trio feature for tonight comes from the pen of Leroy Anderson (1908-1975), an American composer of distinctive and delightful miniatures who had a close association with the Boston Pops Orchestra for many years. His best-known works include Sleigh Ride (also featured tonight), The Syncopated Clock and Blue Tango.

Following a couple of popular Christmas tunes, which feature the vocal talents of one of our local primary schools, is a selection of music from the first Harry Potter movie, composed by John Williams. His film music credits extend from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars and Superman, through to the Indiana Jones trilogy, Jurassic Park and the evocative music from Schindler’s List.

As a tribute to Nina Simone, the jazz songstress who died in April this year, we feature a bluesy Flugel solo of Nina’s Feelin’ Good.

The title of the piece to close our first half (Hodie) originates from the Latin term to depict the event of the birth of Christ. This piece features a medley of popular Christmas tunes.

The Czech composer and military orchestra conductor Julius Fucik (1872-1916) began composing under Antonín Dvorák. He is most widely known for his march Entry of the Gladiators (used at many circuses). But the march we’re playing tonight as our second half opener is almost as popular, having featured in the 1996 hit film Brassed Off.

The “Corelli” Oboe Concerto is a collection of themes from the Italian Baroque violinist-composer Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) which was formed into a concerto for oboe and strings by the renowned conductor of the Halle Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli (1899-1970) for his wife Evelyn Rothwell and published in 1947. Tonight’s transcription by Mike Gray has skilfully replaced the string accompaniment with brass.

George Gershwin’s Someone to Watch Over Me is the first of our two solo vocal features tonight, and originates from the show Oh Kay!, which was first performed on Broadway in 1926, with Gertrude Lawrence as the star. The show was based on a book by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse of the same name, with a plot which included mistaken identities, bootleggers, and, of course, triumphant love.

Rejoice Greatly comes from George Frederick Handel’s epic work The Messiah, where the soprano vocal is paired up with an oboe obligato passage to great effect.

To round off tonight’s concert we have a sing-along medley of more Christmas favourites in the shape of A Christmas Holiday Festival, in which we invite you to participate.