BESSES O' TH, BARN BAND.

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 1143, 26 March 1910, Page 3

BESSES O' TH , BARN BAND.

South African criticisms teem -with complimentary allusions to the marvellous superiority of the Besses in brass nvusic. Regarding the Cape .-own concerts it was said that tno performance was distinguished by a crispness of attack, and a soft lingering over "the delicate passages of the various pieces that was quite a revelation to many who predicted that blare would be the chief characteristic of a brass band's playing. On the contrary the harmony and melody we're so tenderly balanced as to place the brass instruments on a plane quite higher than that which is ordinarily associated with them. The audience expressed its appreciation by unleigned rounds of applause, whilst demands for encores were frequent. In the concerted pieces the niost popular \yere_ Waldteufel's Waltz ."Estudiantina," Rimer's Fantasia "Memories of Britain." Douglass*" arrangement of "Reminiscences of Tschaikowsky, , ' Meyerbeer's triumphant march "Schiller." Mendelssohn's "Ruy Blass,".and Wagner's "Plying Dutchman." Mr t JO. Bright well delighted the vast audi- ! mice with Naylor's "Woodland I iCchoes," played l on the xylophone with remarkable skill. The xylophone is only our old friend thfe Kaffir piano, as it used to be called in the days of our youth, but it is wonderful what I melody can be extracted from it in the hands of a proficient performer. Also in the solos Mi- W. Ryder played on the cornet Hartman's "'Arbucklenian," a difficult piece, callin- for the exercise of much skill. As an encore he. gave "The Lost Chord," an exquisite performance. The vast capacity of the euphonium was demonstrated W Mr E. P. Kerry in Winterbottom's •l< antasia Fantastique.'- The audience was greatly impressed by the flexibility of the notes that this ponderous instrument can omit and called for an encore. As extra pieces the band gave "Hail, Smiling Morn" and "The Village Blacksmith." The whole performance was characterised by precision and well-balanced melody, and fully merited the great ovation accorded it. Feilding will be visited on Tuesday, April 5. Full particulars respecting prices, box plans, and bookino- by post will be notified later. Mr A._W. Batiste,; Messrs J. and N. Tait's principal touring manager, will ■arrive, in Feilding on Wednesday night, and will be pleased to meet those musically interested.