"BESSES O' TH BARN" BAND.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 57, 12 March 1910, Page 7

"BESSES O' TH BARN" BAND.

The Blenheim* season of one night «pens at the Town Hall on Tuesday evening. "About the claim of the * Besses \ t th' Barn' to be the best purely brass band in the world there cannot be two opinions in" the minds of the large audiences who heard their initial performances in South Africa last night in the City Hall," is the Leading an excerpt of a Capetown journal, and may enable local music-lovers to realise that the second visit of the 'Besses' will prove as eminently satisfactory as upon their initial tour. "It is hardly possible to imagine more delicate and delightful instrumentation; such clarity and purity of tone on the cornets could only be compared to that of a silver flute. The immense volume of sound when the full strength of the band was upon the instruments was much too great for the City Hall; it seemed to crash upon one's ear-drums now and then with the sharpness of a pistol shot. Softly came it again, clear and sweet, like a flute, like a bell, every instrument folding its notes, so to speak, into the delightful harmony, It was a novelty, surely, this magnificent brass band, giving all the delicate touches to the composer s fancy, now thrilling' like a bird's note, tremulous like a flute, or cracking into an ear-splitting fusilade. The first item after the National Anthem was Meyerbeer's " Marche Triuniphale.' Here the 'Besses' had ample opportunity of fortissimo, and •even pianissimo work, but the encore which followed, ' Lead Kindly Light,' j was a perfect revelation, a consummate illustration of the triumph and evolution of brass instrumentation. This encore, of all the encores, was the gem of the evening. Following, came Mendelssohn's ' Ruy Bias ' overture, also demonstrating the fine attack and clever finger-work of the 'Besses.'. 'Onward Christian Soldiers ' was given in response to the large demand for an encore. A clever and novel interlude was a xylophone solo by Mr E. Brightwell, who tapped out on his musical woods the pretty and appropriate melody ' Woodland Echoes.' This item was loudly applauded, as also the fine cornet jsolo by Mr W. Ryder, who is now first cornetist. In the latter the soloist demonstrated the most difficult work that human fingers could draw out of this instrument." Particulars respecting the train services are announced elsewhere. Day sales at 3s are now available at Holcroft's.