BRASS IN PERFECTION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 768, 17 March 1910, Page 6

BRASS IN PERFECTION.

THE BESSES 0' TH' BARN BANt).

. To what pitch - of perfection a brass band can attain the Besses o' th' Barn iurn demonstrated when it played in the Town Hall three years ago. It was then stated that its playing would prove highly educative, ana would elevate the standard of brass band music throughr As a matter of fact that has not • been the case in Wellington, and this was hammered home by the magnificent performance of the Besses/ who reappeared at the Municipal Hail last evening. One makes bold to say that there was not one nerson in the large audience that was noF completely captivated' by the art of this fine choir of brass, who play everything, from the mystic harmony of Wagner—or the defiance of it—to/.the simplest oldfashioned hymn with head and heart and soul in a manner'that thrills and uplifts. The band, 30 performers in all, received a hearty welcome; and -the glad hand was also extended! to Mr,. Owen, the skilled conductor; The programme opened with Meyerbeer's march "Schiller" (arranged by Mr. Owen), a number which in the light of modern march music, with its fanciful ear-tickling effects, came as a draught of cold clear water to the parched palate. After the crashing, finale, there was no -doubt in anyone's mind, that the band was as good a body, musicians as it was three years ago—if not.better. (Repetition has' made Suppe's "Poet and Peasant" overture familiar to most people, but th« general excellence of the performance, the rich velvet tone (devoid of any suspioion of that brassiness which characterises many of our bands), and the slight changes" involved in " Mr. Owen's wading, lent new life to pieoe. In so well known a selection one' could'note and appreciate < the fine 4 gradations of sound, the varied colouring,-the even swell, and the almost imperceptible dimensions, the electrical attack,-, and: the absolute precision as to tempo, all achieved without apparent effort. The ; tfnor solo was .beautifully played, and the syncopated passage, taken, rather, more smartly than is usual, was. a v lesson in'instrumental exactitude. The finale was magnificently piled up.' It kept one wondering as to the extremity of the band's double forte. A clatter of applause elicited the old hymn, "Bock of Ages," intoned in sustained harmonies, chorp simply me] ting,'into chord.. The. cornet s&loi&t" of "last Evening was-Mr. W. r Ryder, a player who produces the festal tone of the trumpet without loss of. finish and expression. Hissolo was .HartmannV Arbuckleniaii"—a polka brilliariti in the main, which, admirably displayed the instrumentalist's skill. The inevitable encore was Tosti's ''Good-bye.' 1 Inconsiderate vocalists who attempt this song should hear Mr. Ryder—and learn. The piece ue resistance of the evening: was a musicianly arrangement by Mr. Owen, of excerpts from Rossini's works, a selection which extended the band; in many ways by reason, of its sharp contrasts, and curious intervals. , It concluded with the wellknownprestissimo passage from the "Wil."ii ™®I}" overture, played with rare 6pint; The selection introduced a phono- • menal euphonium player in Mr. ±1. P'. Derry, whose work is positively soulful]' it the word may be applied to such an instrument. ■ Mr. Derry is certainly the toast exponent, of the instrument ever heaxd in Wellington. . He has at his command a _ tremolo and a remarkably penetrating tone which vibrates strangely on the ear. In quick work he is a revelation, as was instanced in his solo, "Jenny Jones., He is apparently equal to anything m the way of musical acrobatics", while his tone, , when at the bottom of s register, is like the. 12ft. open diaK% 011 ' organ. Mr. Derry is of , age : and s" et is' hailed f 6 j 6 *f n6st euphonium player in England- , One can scarcely conceive anyone better. Another enjoyable selection was a pot pourn of' airs. from Verdi's "II fro vatore, including the duets, "Home J?, Our Mountains", and "The Anvil Chorus, yet- omitting the "Ah Che. la timber. The selection was beautifully played, as was the hymn, plaved as an encore. Other selections were "The Harmonious Blacksmith". (Handol), with variahons, and a bright arrangement of Rational Airs" by B. Round. '.•Ci , e ', was only a slight echo perceptible last evening, the management having displayed wisdom in erecting a canvas canopy over, the stage, which-serves the double purpose of a sound-board and an effective means for breaking up the sound. , i.

... ro-mghtV. programme will include Elgars march, "Pomp and Circumstance," the intermezzo from .Wagner's "Flyro» Dutchman," the solo, "0, Star of Eve'"' from Tannhauser (played as a euphonium solo by Mr. Derry), and a "Maritana" selection 1 ;

KETOKN OF THE "BESSES." " People who . love good music will no dpubt join in .welcoming the Besses .0' th' Barn Band back to "Wellington. When last in Wellington, now three years ago, their performances .were well attended, and created' enthusiasm, which is not to be wondered at in the least. "My word, they can play," said a Lanca-. shire man of his compatriots as he left the Town Hall last night. It summed up the' band in brief—they can play. In conversation with' the conductor/ Mr. Owen, last evening, a Dominion representative was' informed that after leaving New Zealand in May three years ago, the band toured Australia with enormous success, and then returned to England, the members lying off at.Whitfield (a. town about five miles from Manchester). After a spell, they set out on a tour of England, Scotland, and Wales, gaining golden opinions , all round. The band now numbered 31 (including Mr. Owen), only 18 of whom -were members during the-last tour. This did not mean that the band had lost anything 'in quality, indeed, he fancied it had gained a shade. . The •. cornets were a particularly fine lot, the horns good, the quartet of trombones hard to beat, and the basses were the same as were here before. There was no fault to be found with the euphoniums—Mr. Derrv was a very fine player, indeed, and would still improve. Much of their music was new, But they • still retained the best of the old music. The band is touring on rather different conditions from those which obtained three years ago. Then they were paid salaries by Messrs. J. and N. Tait. On the present occasion, the tour was being run on a percentage basis. The Messrs. Tait took so much per cent, for managerial expenses, theatres, advertising, and the band the rest. The interests of the were attended to by Mi'. W. Bogle, who had been secretary of the "Besses" for .22 years, and a member for two years longer. Since the band was in New Zealand it had lost one member by death, Mr. Walter Brcarley, solo horn player, who died of typhoid fever in Lancashire.