Coldstream Guards Band plays today

Press, 10 March 1984, Page 9

Coldstream Guards Band plays today

One of the world’s oldest military bands, the Band of the Coldstream Guards, will team with the New Zealand Army Band in an outdoor concert today. Queen Elizabeth H Park is the venue for the concert by the band, which dates at •least to 1785. The band then had only 12 members and until 1825 was led by German conductors. Charles Godfrey was the first English conductor. The Coldstream Guards Band has toured since 1903. The band performs State, Court, and ceremonial duties.

The band will fly into Christchurch today for the concert and leave this evening. The New Zealand Army Band will open the show at 3.30 p.m. and join in the mass finale.

A resounding performance of Tchaikovsky’s famour “1812” Overture — with cannon — will end the concert.

The traditional booming cannon sounds will be provided by a local explosives expert, Anthony Lealand, who has \been engaged by the Christchurch Festival for the task. Mr Lealand runs the Lucifer Fireworks Company. A few problems have been met in setting up the explosives. Queen Elizabeth II Park is being used this morning for school sports and will not be clear until after 2 p.m. Mr Lealand has an hour to set up the explosives before the New Zealand Army Band opens the concert with its marching and music display. The other restriction is that his charges must not damage the turf at the park, because a smooth grass surface is needed tomorrow for marching championships. Although real Army cannons are traditionally used for the “bangs” — 10 during the "1812” Overture and six in a quick volley at the end of the overture — recent Defence Department policy has precluded this. A re-

quest by the Christchurch Festival to use the local artillery battery was declined by the Defence Department’s head office in Wellington. The other problems with using real cannon is firing them at exactly the right moment when they have to be placed at a distance from the conductor and band.

Mr Lealand plans to have a panel in front of one of the New Zealand Army Band percussionists who will then push a button every time the cannon boom is required. Three former soldiers of Uie Coldstream Guards live in Canterbury. Messrs Trevor Raines, Cyril Egan, and Norman Wales were members of the regiment but not of the band.

Of the three, only Mr Egan will be at today’s concert Mr Wales is on holiday and Mr Raines is unable to go. A big party of former members of the Household Brigade, which

includes the Coldstream Guards, would be going to the concert, Mr Raines said.

Each member of the band would be travelling with a large hatbox for his bearskin, Mr Raines said. “They (the headdressess) are not busbies. Only Frenchmen and marching girls wear busbies. Coldstream Guards wear bearskins,” he said. When he was a member of the regiment from 1952 to 1955, the distinctive headdress was made of black bearskin especially imported from Russia. Today, Mr Raines thinks they are more likely brown bearskin, dyed.

Although he would not be at the concert, Mr Raines said he would join the other former soldiers afterwards.

“The lads will try to make contact with the band but because they are here for such a short time it will be difficult to do more than say hello,” he said.

Christchurch Festival