3 November 2012

Celebration Concert for Coventry Cathedrals Golden Jubilee

Two weeks after taking part in the National Brass Band Finals at the Albert Hall in London the band was back in its home town for a concert to celebrate the Cathedrals Golden Jubilee.
Courtesy of CPPhoto

The band presented a challenging programme ranging from the classics to the big band. There was a number of highlights throughout the evening one of which was Leslies Condon's 'City of Three Spires'.

The middle movement was especially moving as it depicts the night of 14th November 1940 when Coventry was victim of the German blitz campaign during which 600 people lost their lives and the old Cathedral was turned into rumble.

Although the music clearly demonstrate the horrors of that night, the sound of the cornet pronouncing the all clear leads the music to the hymn tune 'St Michael' (the name of the cathedral) which slowly turns horror into peace as the new cathedral appears out of the ashes.

Another highlight of the evening was the finale where the band was joined by the Cathedrals Assistant Director of music Laurence Lyndon-Jones as he joined the band on the cathedrals organ for Saint Saens Symphony no 3 in C minor Op78 - The finale of the Organ Symphony.

The full programme
Fanfare ‘La Peri’ – Paul Dukas 
Music from the film ‘Jurassic Park’ - John Williams ‘Cry Me a River’ – Arthur Hamilton (Soloist Paul white, Cornet)‘Sing Sing Sing’ – Louis Prima ‘Swedish Folk Song’ – Peter Graham Finale from the ballet ‘Pineapple Poll’ – Arthur Sullivan ‘Georgia on my Mind’ – Hoagy Carmichael (Soloist Andrew Bates, Flugel)‘City of Three Spires’ – Leslie Condon 
INTERVAL 

Jublilee Overture - Philip Sparke ‘Morceau Symphonique’ – Alexandre Guillmant (Soloist Kevin Lea, Trombone)Montagues and Capulets (from the ballet ‘Romeo & Juliet’) – Serge Prokofieff March ‘Seventeen come Sunday’ from The English Folk Song Suite – Ralph Vaughan Williams ‘Who wants to live Forever’ – Brian May ‘Benedictus’ (from ‘The Armed Man’) – Karl Jenkins (Soloist Ian Wright, Euphonium)Auld Lang Syne – Traditional Scottish Finale from Symphony no 3 in C minor (‘The Organ Symphony’) – Camille Saint-SaĆ«ns 

The band received many congratulations from an appreciative audience. We now look forward to playing in the cathedral again on the 22nd December for the BBC's Coventry and Warwickshire Christmas carol concert.

For more photos courtesy of CPPhoto click here