ALCESTER Victoria Silver Band made a welcome return to the Greig Hall on Saturday, June 15 with a Right Royal Prom.
An audience of more than 200 packed out the town’s community venue which was appropriately be-decked in red, white and blue for the occasion.
This year the band combined musical talents with south Warwickshire mixed choir Tarantara, which celebrates it 21st birthday this year and enthusiastically led by Swedish soprano Linnea Markgren.
The full and diverse programme kicked off in military mode with jaunty march The Knight Templar by George Allan played by the band. This was contrasted by the smooth jazz sounds of Bart Howard’s of Fly Me to the Moon, interestingly wrote 10 years prior to Frank Sinatra’s hit version in 1964.
One of the most iconic tracks in the history of dance music brought the repertoire into the modern era with late DJ Robert Miles’ Children – a staple that came to dominate clubs the late 1990s and going on to become one of the biggest-selling instrumentals in Europe.
Tarantara performed three solo melodies accompanied by Chris Long on keyboard – most notably Seal Lullaby, a mesmorising composition by the American composer Eric Whitacre before choir and band joined forces for a moving rendition of Anthem by Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Tim Rice from the musical Chess.
The band started the second half of the evening with a foottapping rendition of Let’s Stick Together by Wilbert Harrison, released in 1962 and subsequently made famous by Brian Ferry, the lead vocalist and songwriter with Roxy Music in 1976.
Soloist Ian Jones on flugelhorn got to show off his talents with an accomplished version Libertango by Astor Piazolla and Pucinni’s Nessun Dorma brought an operatic high note as well as being one of the band’s favourites.
Tarantara joined the band for Lennon and McCartney’s All You Need is Love by – cue audience participation – and was followed a trio of tunes with choir and keyboard accompaniment.
Nikolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson’s Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, preceded another performance highlight, David Brunner’s infectious Yo Le Canto El Dia (I will sing all day), sung in Spanish before the mood turned to sombre reflection for Elgar’s version of Requiem Aeternam in honour of the recent 80th D-Day commemorations.
The night was not complete without renditions of Rule Britannia, Pomp and Circumstance, then Jerusalem, which had the audience joining in and waving their Union flags.
Altogether a thoroughly entertaining evening, jointly compered by the band’s musical director Nick Smith who seems at just as versed as a stand-up comedian as leading the band and Ms Markgren whose enthusiasm and joy for song shone through.
The night raised in excess £2,000 for Alcester Dementia Cafe that provides support to people and their families who live with dementia.
