What the audience lacked in numbers was more than made up by their enthusiasm for Friary Brass Band at Reading Town Hall on Saturday, part of the British Bandsman series of concerts. A wide ranging programme, from a medley from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess to Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long, and from Nicholas Brodsky’s I’ll Walk with God to Danny Elfman’s Beetlejuice ensured there was music for everyone.
Particular highlights included Philip Sparke’s Fantasy for Euphonium, superbly played by Chris Straker, and Howard Snell’s quirky arrangement of Tea for Two, executed on percussion with great panache by Martin Davies and Will Rowling.
One concertgoer commented: ‘As soon as I saw the concert series advertised I booked tickets for six of them, and I haven’t been disappointed yet. I hadn’t heard Friary before but they certainly deserve their reputation for entertainment: it’s an absolutely wonderful programme.’
There’s another opportunity to hear Friary in concert, with another varied programme, at Woking Salvation Army next Saturday, 26th October at 7.30pm. Details can be found here.
Comments