Army band concert

Press, 2 August 1983, Page 8

Army band concert

New Zealand Army Band concert at the Town Hall, Saturday, July 30. Reviewed by Allan Francis. When Arthur Fiedler jazzed up the Boston Pops Orchestra, he would hardly have realised the far-reach-ing effects of what he had started. Other symphony orchestras had to follow suit and all the good brass bands’ arrangers’ imaginations ran riot Not that this was a bad thing as the New Zealand brass bands, already in high esteem throughout the world, added much lustre to their record. The New Zealand Army Band took on the challenge with confidence, and its performance on Saturday eveing once again affirmed its ability to play the field by introducing a wide variety of entertainment. Somehow, though, the pro-

1 gramme left one with a I, distinct feeling of hollow1 ness; there was a heaviness in the lower register, some r of the top brass were uncers tain and at times out of f tune, while the whole suf- - fered from over-amplifica-1 tion. / “String of Pearls’” was t far too slow and almost lost s way, yet it was tender - enough and the transposis tion of instruments was r cleverly done. The lighting • was most effective, being i far more impressive than I the choice of items. It was noticeable that the crowd generally failed to ' respond to the call to “join : in,” despite frequent urging from the compere and the proficient vocalist, Judy i Barnes. Her first song, “I’ve • Never Had it so Good,” was .fair enough without the of either good lyrics t z or melody line.

One had only to glance at the programme to note that there was a preoccupation with television, giving an imbalance to the whole show. Even the two steel drums struggled to get a word in amidst the general cacophony. It was not until the “Retreat Ceremony” that the band reached the heights of a superbly integrated unit Drums, brass, and lighting all combined to give a ■ truly thrilling display, with tight harmony. All up, it was less than first class as a spectacle, the gaiety was brittle and somewhat forced, and I’m left with the picture in my mind of one soloist raising his instrument in triumph after playing a full tone flat throughout practically all of his journey. A litjfe brushing up all round would do wonders.