Thank You For The Music - 30th Anniversary ConcertThank You For The Music

1977–2007

Saturday 17 March 2007

Abingdon Baptist Church, Ock Street, Abingdon

Welcome to our 30th Anniversary concert, Thank you for the Music. You probably know that most of our concerts are 'themed', and I thought at fi rst it would be easy having hardly any theme at all for this concert beyond what has connections with the last thirty years. Of course, it turned out that almost anything is connected in some way and it was difficult to cut down the suggestions to what we could fi t into an evening.

Star Wars Saga was a must. This splendidly arranged selection is one of the very best fi lm score adaptations for band, it is 'of the period', and it makes a fi ?? ing fi nale for the concert. Colonial Song and the Dvorák fell into place to give the brass a breather before Star Wars.

Mamma Mia! and Queen in Concert were good choices to capture the mood of the time in the 1970s when the band came into being, but most of the other pieces could have been replaced many times over with choices equally engaging and appropriate. However, choices have to be made. English Folk Song Suite and Stephenson's Rocket slipped in as examples of fi ne music written specially for band, while Light Cavalry Overture and Spitfire Prelude and Fugue are firm favourites, the latter being from that select group of 'biggies' that are really suited to opening a concert rather than closing it.

Mack and Mabel has been more popular with brass bands than wind bands, so including it is a glance back at my own involvement with brass bands. I feel sorry for it too, such great music not played as often as it might be (largely because although you can fi nish an opera knee-deep in corpses, heroines of musicals dying is bad box office).

Finally, 'the show ain't over till the fat lady sings'. It's highly likely we may introduce a surprise or two before, during or after this lot.

Spitfire Prelude & Fugue – WILLIAM WALTON
English Folk Song Suite – RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Overture: Light Cavalry – FRANZ VON SUPPÚ
Queen in Concert – QUEEN arr. JAY BOCOOK
Stephenson's Rocket – NIGEL HESS
Mack and Mabel – JEFFRY HERMAN arr. ROBERT ELY
Mamma Mia! the musical – BJÖRN ULVAEUS & BENNY ANDERSON arr. PETER KLEINE SCHAARS
Colonial Song – PERCY GRAINGER
Moderato, quasi marcia from Serenade Op 44. – ANTONNÍN DVORÁK
Star Wars Saga – JOHN WILLIAMS arr. JOHAN DE MEÉ