Review: Wingates Band at St John’s Church

Praise and Celebration for Wingates Band

The theme for Wingates Band’s latest concert was ‘Songs of Praise and Celebration’ and although, some may argue the programme choices were eclectic, given the above brief - I would say it hit the mark in the fact that it was a celebration of everything brass band music stands for. It was an intelligent combination of both contemporary and traditional music that both celebrated our musical heritage and showcased the sounds and technical ability of the modern brass band. It was a concert that is certainly worthy of praise and celebration.

‘Songs of Praise’

The content of most of the first half was a collaboration between the members of the congregation who had chosen several hymns to be sung alongside the accompaniment provided by the band. Each member provided a little synopsis on the story of the hymn and why they had chosen it, which was actually really interesting and definitely something a bit different from your average concert.

There’s a reason the brass band sound is synonymous with hymn tunes. There is something just so beautiful about the warmth our medium brings to those recognisable melodies. Having been a Sunday School student for 14 years of my life, I felt a real nostalgia hearing the hymns played and even the words to, ‘Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah’ managed to find their way out of the filing cabinet in the back of my brain.

Song for Bram & Resurgam

The combination of these two well-known brass band works was something I’d never heard before and I really want to hear them together again. It’s no secret that, Eric Ball’s, ‘Resurgam’ is one of my favourite pieces of all time, but having it seamlessly follow Edward Gregson’s, ‘A Song for Bram’ was as close to a religious experience, as I'm going to get, I think. Just incredible and what a sound the band made. Needless to say, I was quietly crying into my programme at the back of the audience, for all the right reasons.

Slaughter on 10th Avenue

Some may question the point of having this arrangement of a Richard Rodgers classic on the programme, but I really don’t care whether it has a link to the concert theme or not - it’s an absolute cracker. With jazzy moods, solo interludes that are filled with style and character and huge band sounds, I will never complain about this piece making an appearance at a brass band concert. In my opinion, I think the piece suits the brass band sound far more effectively than the original’s orchestral setting - but what do I know?

Cry Me a River

The concert’s first solo offering came from the band’s Principal Cornet, the incomparable Andy MacDonald, who had elected to play the big band classic, ‘Cry Me a River’. This was an arrangement of the version made famous by the Canadian crooner, Michael Bublé that is akin to a theme from a James Bond movie. The arrangement demonstrated why Andy is one of the country’s finest and most revered brass band musicians with a piece that displayed not only incredible style, but impressive technical prowess.

Shepherd’s Hey

Well, the composer of this next work, Percy Grainger, piqued more than just my musical interest, following the introduction given by the band’s musical director, Matt Ryan. As well as being known for noting down and immortalising a range of traditional and folk tunes, Percy also curated a museum of artefacts relating to his musical and…erm private life. If I say ‘Fifty Shades of Grainger’ that should tell you all you need to know. Thankfully, Matt was tactful in his introduction, leaving the investigation of Grainger’s colourful past up to the audience.

Grainger’s, ‘Shepherd’s Hey’ is a blink-and-you-miss-it, energetic work that provided a charming moment of light relief in a programme of deep, complex compositions. Quite an innocent piece for someone who had a bit of a wild side. Who’d have thought?

Zelda

The concert's second and final solo offering was from the band's new Principal Euphonium, Richard Bond. Richard chose to play a solo more commonly associated with the cornet, Percy Code's ‘Zelda’. What a debut for Richard! The solo showed off his effortless musicality and lovely sound, as well as technical skill, making what is a difficult work seem easy.

Bella Ciao

Although this song has a history that goes back to the 19th century, it experienced a resurgance when it was featured in the Netflix series, ‘Money Heist’ and then became a trending sound on TikTok.

Once a traditional folk song, this piece has been transformed into a characterful and infectiously catchy piece of music.

MacArthur Park

Alan Catherall's epic arrangement of Jimmy Webb's ‘MacArthur Park’ is a piece that needs no introduction. It's always exciting for me to see this piece on a concert programmes and Wingates’ performance of this absolute banger did not disappoint. Excellent last note, Soprano Cornet…

I Want to Break Free

After a programme filled with epic tunes, we were treated to one final piece before the band vacated the stage for a well-earned rest. Phillip Harper's arrangement of the Queen classic, I Want to Break Free was the perfect way to round off what was a fantastic afternoon of music. Despite a fatiguing programme, the band's energy was not diminished.

Balancing Traditional and Contemporary

I can't end this review without a word on the band's new MD, Matt Ryan, who was making his official debut with the band at this concert and the programme he curated and presented.

I feel the balance of playing more modern music without disregarding our musical heritage is a challenge that is regularly debated. However I feel that this concert managed to strike the winning balance.

Firstly, the selected traditional works that may have been more recognisable to a banding audience than those with no knowledge of our repertoire were well chosen and combined well with the more modern arrangements. As a bander, I appreciated the hard work and technique that goes into preparing these works, but from a ‘non-bander’ audience member they were interesting, listenable and approachable - a dipping of the toe into brass band repertoire, if you will.

Secondly, hats off to Matt for his compering. He introduced these pieces and the context behind them, so brilliantly which not only introduced a little bit of our world to the audience and the story behind the pieces, it offered the context necessary to appreciate these works.

This attention to detail alongside the impressive sounds from the Wingates Band clearly found favour with the audience. Standing by the door, the comments I overheard were more than just positive - the enthusiasm and appreciation was palpable.

Excellent work - well done to Matt and the band.