Christmas got off to a flying start last week in Camborne. Not only are the band out carolling in various locations in West Cornwall, but they also played in the annual Christmas Appeal Concert at the Camborne Salvation Army headquarters.Camborne Band played a varied programme of traditional Christmas and classic band pieces throughout the evening. Starting off with Paul Lovett-Cooper's Enter the Galaxies, they moved straight into Berlioz's fantastic overture Le Corsair arranged by Geoffrey Brand.
The first soloist of the evening was the band's Principal Cornet player, Darren Hendy. His rendition of Gounod's Ave Marie was particularly moving for the time of year and was played with real aplomb.
The band moved onto Kenneth Dowie’s splendid Reflections in Nature, which was very well received by the enthusiastic audience and brought the band's dynamic range to the fore. John Hitchens, the band's Principal Euphonium player, was the next soloist. He gave a virtuosi performance of Carnival Cocktail, arranged by Steve Sykes for John, demonstrating a master class in technique and style.
The band ended the first half with Matthew Hall's atmospheric The Smile. This piece combines three favourite hymns, Lord of All Hope, The Lord’s My Shepherd and ‘The Old Rugged Cross. This led on to Philip Harpers masterful arrangement of Gustav Mahler’s Finale from 2nd Symphony “Resurrection”; a real power piece with darkly hued excerpts which will be a favourite for some time to come.
The second half kicked off in a more traditional Christmas style with Prokofiev’s Troika from Lieutenant Kije. Although not written as a seasonal piece, it has become synonymous and popular as a Christmas anthem. James MacFadyen's take on Silent Night slowed things down but a dark and atmospheric twist. The second Paul Lovett-Copper arrangement, Carol of the Bells, livened proceeding up. This traditional Ukrainian Carol has been used in popular culture from film to stage and also by heavy metal band, Metallica. John Rutter then followed in Candlelight Carol; this delightful arrangement by Martyn Patterson really captures the Christmas mood.
Romance from A Christmas Carol was used as the BBC Drama “A Box of Delight”, a clever arrangement by Andrew Baker followed. The band then played A Huron Carol, translated Jesous Ahatonhia (Jesus, he is born) - a traditional Canadian Carol arranged by Andrew Wainwright. The band concluded the concert with Santaclaustrophobia arranged by Sandy Smith. This piece journeys through a number of popular themes including; Theme from Santa Claus the Movie, Rootin Tootin Santa, Have yourself a merry little Christmas, When Santa Got Stuck up the Chimney and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
Camborne Band will be performing more of this programme again on Sunday night, when they give a seasonal concert at Crowan Church. Entry to the concert will be £5 and the evening starts at 7.30 pm. The concert will be followed by mince pies and mulled wine. The band look forward to seeing you there, and for those who are not able to attend, they wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!