Sounding Brass & Voices - 9th May 2010
The Sounding Brass and Voices Concert at Gracie Field's theatre on Sunday was a resounding success. The Milnrow Cooperative Band under Andrew White started the proceedings with The Dam Busters theme and all was just quality music after that. .'I dreamed a dream' really mesmerised the audience with back-tingling musicianship. A fourteen year old musical prodigy Owen Middlemass with lightening hands on the xylophone gave an exceptional rendition of Bach's toccata and fugue.
The audience were charmed by the Rochdale Girls choir singing so beautifully under direction of Christine Willis 'A Cat Called Alexander' (including a marvelous miaoow) and 'Humpty Dumpty' contrasted with the Spritual 'Steal Away' and 'Beautiful December'. Their youthful enthusiasm and enjoyment of their singing never waned and later were unrestrained in Flag Waving finale
The youthful Wardle Anderson Brass and Sean Conway started with a robust Olympic fanfare with playing full of energy and gusto. Amy Smith a charming tall blondhaired Euphonium player mastered this difficult instrument producing a controlled graceful performance of 'La Belle Americaine'
Then up stood Mr Brass Band himself - Dr .Roy Newsome (photo below) -ex presenter of Radio 2's 'listen to the band' and over 30 years conducting, lecturing and adjudicating. He has spent his life promoting Brass band music in many countries and he conducted the finale of the combined Milnrow and Wardle Bands.
Our very own Tenor soloist Peter Ruane was in fine voice with a rendition of Nessum Dorma. The girls choir sang Jerusalem and the whole performance rounded off with Pomp and Circumstance to a whirl of hundreds of Union Jacks.
The Gracie Fields theatre was well filled despite the Rochdale Football Clubs open top bus celebration and Samaritans and Petrus Day centre in Rochdale will benefit from the proceeds, Thank you Tom and everyone for all your efforts