When Foden’s became the Britannia Building Society Band almost 30 years ago, one of the guiding lights in maintaining the hugely successful sponsorship partnership was Stephen Sebire MBE - the dedicatee of this highly enjoyable seventh volume of easy listening music making.
It’s not clear if he had a say in the selections here, but you wouldn’t be surprised if you found out he was delighted at it.
Heartfelt
From Rimmer’s march ‘The Black Knight’ to the ‘Celtic Fusions’ suite, the current Foden’s Band displays its credentials in a manner that is as good as anything they have produced in the ‘Patron’s’ series: from the precise metronomic pulse of that opening march to the heartfelt crying pain of the 'Ellis Island Lament’.
Dazzling
In between we are given some dazzling concert repertoire playing; relaxed, refined, precise and downright impressive - none more so than a bravura ‘Force of Destiny’, which builds in tension and passion from the very first focussed set of chords.
The brace of husband and wife teams provide excellent solo features. Lesley Poole is fleet footed and nimble as she dances her way through ‘The Piper of Dundee’, whilst Richard delivers a passionate, powerful, ‘Flowerdale’.
Although the original song may have been by Anne Murray, Helen Williams gives a sultry performance of Randy Goodrum's ‘You Needed Me’, although Glyn is on equally fine form with a sparkling ‘Believe Me if all those Endearing Young Charms’, played with tasteful spaciousness, to allow the obvious technical wizardry to shine without losing the cultured sense of musicality.
Full blown
Jens Lindemann’s ‘Starlight’ is given the full blown treatment it merits, especially with some supersonic sop work, whilst a new composition, ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Andrew Stevenson, colourfully depicts one of the great military blunders of all time.
It cleverly evokes the infamous poetic line, ‘Into the valley of Death / Rode the six hundred’ - as the bugle calls (the actual fanfares heard on that day), the guns and a hymn for the returning sick and injured personnel are all intricately placed within six minutes of highly effective concert music.
Typically brash
Meanwhile, the ‘Independence Day’ suite is typically brash ‘All American hero’ stuff (when are they not?) - although it is also an enjoyable reminder of the how a decent music score can make or break the most ludicrously diabolical Hollywood film.
Sanity is restored with ‘Love Divine’ - although not the melancholic ‘Blaenwern’, but Howard Goodall's beautifully reverential and respectful take on hymnal, with Peter Meechan’s, ‘Starlight’ also given a performance of control and precision.
Best opportunities
The days when the name Britannia Building Society was expertly advertised by the band at the Granada Band of the Year or Best of Brass competitions is recalled with Howard Snell’s superb, ‘Dansa Brasileira’, with the percussion section right on the top of its game in a samba mode that wouldn't be out of place on a Rio carnival float.
30 years may well have passed since the days of Britannia Building Society, but on this form, you can still hear why Foden’s remain one of the best advertising opportunities for any potential sponsor.
Steve Jack
Contents
1. The Black Knight, William Rimmer, 4.10
2. The Force of Destiny, Giuseppe Verdi, arr. Frank Wright, 7.46
3. Flowerdale, Philip Sparke, Richard Poole (Soprano Cornet), 4.20
4. Charge of the Light Brigade, Andrew Stevenson, 5.54
5. The Piper O' Dundee, Kenneth Downie, Lesley Poole (Tenor Horn), 4.45
6. Love Divine, Howard Goodall, arr. Andrew Wainwright, 5.24
7. Dansa Brasileira, Mozart Camargo Guarnieri, arr. Howard Snell, 2.11
8. You Needed Me, Randy Goodrum, arr. Tom Brevik, Helen Williams (Flugel Horn), 4.05
9. Independence Day, David Arnold, arr. Sandy Smith, 6.32
10. Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms, arr. Stanley Boddington, Glyn Williams (Euphonium), 7.42
11. Starlight, Peter Meechan, 3.58
Celtic Fusions, Robin Dewhurst,
12. I. Earth Rites, 3.36
13. II. The Ellis Island Lament, 4.28
14. III. The Flight of the Wild Geese, 7.41
