Foden’s Band certainly played a significant part at the Aalborg Musikkonkurrence; Denmark’s leading entertainment competition.

John Barber, Mark Bousie, Michael Fowles and Mark Wilkinson all served as adjudicators for the competitive element of the weekend, whilst the band gave their own pre-result ‘mini concert’ to an enthusiastic capacity audience.  They also returned the following day for this outstanding concert at the Norresundby Gymnasium.

Infectious

They opened with the ‘Grand Fanfare’ by Venezuelan composer, Castro D’Addona. Bristling with infectious rhythms and sweeping melodic lines, it made a wonderful celebratory start and showed the band to be in excellent shape under MD Michael Fowles.

In contrast came one of Wilfred Heaton’s miniature masterpieces, ‘Just as I Am’, before more shifts of musical style were revealed with Gary Curtin on exhilarating form in Stan Niewenhuis’s ‘Move Their Mind’: The contrasting lyrical interludes and funky virtuosic sections, including the clever use of multiphonics, were engrossing.

The first half came to an end with an eagerly awaited performance of the forthcoming British Open set-work, ‘Fraternity’ by Thierry Deleruyelle - played with splendid individual and ensemble control and benefitting from the MD’s refined appreciation of pace and dynamic.

Splendid

The first half came to an end with an eagerly awaited performance of the forthcoming British Open set-work, ‘Fraternity’ by Thierry Deleruyelle - played with splendid individual and ensemble control and benefitting from the MD’s refined appreciation of pace and dynamic.  

If the nature of the first half was quite serious, then the second saw Foden’s in a lighter musical vein.

Leigh Baker’s arrangement of the Lionel Ritchie classic ‘All Night Long’ was the prelude to a thrilling rendition by sop star Richard Poole of ‘Blue’ by Mnozil Brass’s Thomas Gansch. It brought the house down. Recently appointed solo horn Jonathan Bates gave a colourful swish to Mangione’s ‘Children of Sanchez’, whilst flugel player Melanie Whyle followed the flamboyance with a beautiful take on Eric Whitacre’s ‘The Seal Lullaby’.

Ears ringing

‘Supremacy’ by the English band Muse was a different departure from the norm, before John Barber displayed his ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ musical duality with a stylish account of the musical’s ballad, ‘Someone Like You’.

‘A Farewell to Arms’, originally written for the European Fanfare Ensemble by Dutch composer Harrie Janssen led into the encores of Prima’s swing classic ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ and Ray Farr’s upbeat take on Bach’s ‘Toccata in D Minor’, before the band was able to leave the stage with the cheers ringing in their ears.
 
Andreas Thomsen