Grimethorpe Colliery Band made a welcome return visit to Norwich to perform at the East Anglian Brass Band Association’s 78th annual gala concert. 

Included in the audience were 150 young musicians between the ages of 9 and 17 from the city and surrounding areas.

With support from Norwich Town Close Estate Charity and the Norfolk Music Hub, the East Anglian Brass Band Association had been able to offer free tickets for the event to give the opportunity to hear a truly unique band in concert. 

Lively

Under Associate Conductor Brian Grant, Grimethorpe commenced with lively music from Daniel Auber’s three act opera ‘Le Domino Noir’. This was followed by the first solo of the evening - a superb performance by Jamie Smith of ‘Hejre Kati’ by Rafael Mendez, before sharp contrast came John Ireland’s ‘Elegy’ from ‘A Downland Suite’. 

Acclaim

For the next part of their programme they turned to the film ‘Brassed Off!’ for which they had received such great acclaim. They treated an appreciative audience to the march ‘Death or Glory’, ‘Danny Boy’, ‘Clog Dance’ and the ‘Finale’ from ‘William Tell’.     

To conclude the first half came, what Brian Grant described, the band’s equivalent of a cook’s signature dish - with a terrific performance of ‘McArthur Park’.  

Foot tapping

The second half started with a foot tapping performance of Irving Berlin’s ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’ followed by ‘Mid All The Traffic’ arranged by Leonard Ballantine.
 
Brian then introduced the second soloist of the evening, as euphonium player Michael Dodd gave a breathtaking performance of ‘Carnival of Venice’. The next piece was dedicated to a member of the audience - and a beautiful rendition of Edward Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ before the equally lovely ‘Shepherds Hey’ followed.

Superb

The final solo of the evening was given by Chris Gomersall on trombone, as he entertained with a superb rendition of ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’.

All too soon the concert neared its end as the audience was treated to superb renditions of ‘Perpetuum Mobile’ and Wagner’s ‘Procession to the Minster’ which drew so much applause that the encore of ‘Toccata and Fugue in D Minor’ was a certainty.    

Christine Wade