Brass Band Plays Flashy Concert

As an opener for the Christmas season, the Brass Band of Battle Creek presented an unforgettable evening of smooth, silvery music, good humor and infinite variety.

The first half of the concert gave the audience everything from the lively opener Strike Up The Band, to the stunning Russian chestnut Mussorgsky’s Great Gate if Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition.

The second half of the concert had no less variety, although it was all Christmas music.

The band’s rendition of The Christmas Song had all the mellow sweetness of Nat King Cole’s immortal voice, rendered this time by euphonium.

The zany arrangement of Twelve Days of Christmas, arranged by Bulla, the chief arranger of both the Marine Band and the White House Orchestra, was a repeat from last Christmas concert, by popular request.

Narrator Terry Bobzien quipped that he had complaints a year ago that people lost count of all those ladies dancing, drummers drumming and maids a milking. This year, therefore slides with appropriate words and numbers were provided for the audience’s sake.

British conductor Ray Farr, son of the Hereford Salvation Army Brass Band conductor, had the band in the palms of his two hands at all times.

At the end, the band received no less than three standing ovations and, in turn, rendered no less that three encores: White Christmas, and then a rather funky, delightful rendition of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - twice.

Fourteen outstanding area band members form local high schools joined the band for Farr’s arrangement of Prokofiev’s Midnight Sleigh Ride.

Area virtuoso Woodrow “Woody” English provided two outstanding solos during the first half of the concert.

The first, Concertpiece for Cornet and Brass Band was flashy and fast. The second, I’d Rather Have Jesus, was serene and golden and he touchingly dedicated his rendition to his mother, who was proudly in attendance.

Finally, the concert was a visual feast. The stage glowed with red and gold. Brightly wrapped packages were suspended from the ceiling, and, at the back of the stage, there was a continuous slide show displaying band clinics, newborns babes, words to carols, those great gates of Kiev and many rich image to complement the music.

The audience was reminded during the narration of the historical roots of brass bands in the Salvation Army movement.

Salvation Army volunteers were posted both in the lobby and outside the hall and audience members, rather than walking by, vacantly staring ahead, were moved to place contributions in those red metal containers.

And isn’t that, after all, what Christmas is all about?