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News & Events:

The Brian Moore New Year’s Day Concert 2010

Presented by the Friends of St. Giles

An article written by Alison Reynolds

We were fortunate to start the new decade with another excellent concert in a packed church.  As Ray Jewkes said, the essence of a good concert is to be full of good tunes, and there were tunes aplenty from start to finish.

Bernard Brook, violin, returned to St. Giles, accompanied by his wife Ruth Brook, with music written and arranged by Fritz Kreisler, including 'Danse Espagnole', the lively arrangement of a familiar piece by Granados, which Bernard said you "almost played" if you once learned the guitar. We also heard Sarasate's passionate 'Zigeunerweisen' where the piano accompaniment tugged at the heartstrings, while the violin's virtuosic gypsy flourishes sparkled delightfully.

Ellis Charles Pike sang Sarastro's two main arias from Mozart's `Magic Flute', and Stephen Adams' moving 'The Holy City'.  Later, with a complete change of mood, Ellis amused us with Flanders and Swan's whimsical 'Ill Wind' and Harry Clifton's 'The Musical Party'.  He also regaled us with a 'Just William' story, appropriately, `William's New Year's Day Party', where the boy with a whistle more penetrating than melodious had to pinch himself, to see if he was still alive, when he was asked to look after the sweet shop.

Tracey Renwick, piano, who accompanied Ellis, played Mendelssohn's exhilarating 'Andante and Rondo Capriccioso' written two years after the Midsummer Night's Dream overture, when he was still only nineteen, and Chopin's' Minute Waltz'.  Then, equally tuneful, but in a wholly different mood, Tracey chose the 'Prelude No.1' and a medley of three well-loved songs by Gershwin, finishing with the iconic 'I Got Rhythm'.

Gershwin's 'Strike up the Band', arranged by Ray Woodfield, demonstrated that

St. Giles Brass Ensemble have also 'got rhythm'.  In addition, they charmed us with pieces by Gounod and Johann Strauss, and the captivating Russian folk tune'Kalinka', which, as Ray promised, did indeed build to a tremendous frenzy, with amazing trumpet trills. They drew this year's concert to a close with a rousing performance of our final good tune, Sousa's'Liberty Bell'.

                                                                                 Alison Reynolds

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