Harmony in brass

Press, 14 November 1977, Page 6

Harmony in brass

By

MIKE TEARLE

The Christchurch Cath-i' edral restoration fund appeal/ benefited by S5OO yesterday;! afternoon — and those who' gave the money benefited: from an inspired brass band, and choral concert. The concert, organised by the Christchurch corps of the Salvation Army, included the Wellington Citadel; Salvation Army Band, the! Skellerup-Woolston Band.' and the Cathedral Choris-! ters, and attracted an audience of about 1000. The programme opened with a stirring performance of the march, “Praise,” by: Heaton, played by the combined bands under Mervynl Waters, and was followed by! the tone poem, “Resurgam,”' by Eric Ball. This was played by the SkellerupWoolston band under its conductor. Mervyn Waters, j The composer, an English; Salvationist, is quoted as saying during a rehearsal of the piece. “There is nothing in this world from which men cannot rise” — and the music suggests the struggle, a series of climaxes and anti-climaxes interspersed with staccato chords and building to a secure end. The audience was treatedi to a brilliant trombone soloi by Graeme Jameson, of the

i Wellington Citadel band, (playing “The Eternal Quest”! i by Ray Steadman-Allen. j His control of the in-1 ; strument and feeling for the! (work were a sheer delight.; !and the band, under Band-, master Eric Geddes, showed why it is in world class. ; A piece by Mussorgsky,, “Night on a Bare Mountain,” (was played by SkellerupWoolston. The witches and black Mass, a fury and a, restlessness building to aj crescendo, were all there —, as were the church bell and) the shepherd’s pipe bringing a calmness and feeling of! security, at the end of the piece as the faithful were; called to prayer and the; powers of evil were! defeated. The Wellington bandsmen! are also fine singers. With a (small portion of the band, playing the accompaniment,) the rest sang the gospel,! song, “Jesus is My Light.” | “Easter Glory,” a work in! three parts; Day of Death. Day of Mourning, and Day of Resurrection, was also! played by the Wellington; band, and was illustrated on! an overhead screen with colloured slides. (j This is a magnificient /piece by Condon, and the;

band was able to recreate with tremendous impact the full range of emotions at work on those momentous three days 2000 years ago. The Cathedral Choristers sang two brackets of songs with the control and sweetness of voice for which they are well known. They began with “Hail Gladdening Light,” by Woods, and “Praise to God in the Highest,” and finished with “O, How Amiable are Thy Dwellings,” by Vaughan; Williams, “Give Ear unto Me.” by Marcelio, and “Ex-' ultate Justi,” by Viadana. For all but the first piece, they were accompanied on the organ by David Childs. In accepting the offertory gift from Major Gordon Brinsdon, of the Christchurch City corps of the Salvation Army, the Dean of Christchurch (the Very Rev. M. L. Underhill) said, “This has been a thrilling, uplifting, and memorable concert.” The concert ended with the combined bands playing the coronation march from “The Prophet,’ conducted by the former Wellington Citadel bandmaster for 25 years, Bert Neeve. Since his retirement from the post, he has played a cornet in the band.