On 20th August, less than a week since we returned to rehearsal after our summer break, the band were in action at St Helens Town Hall performing in a joint concert with Parr (St Helens) Band as part of their 75th Anniversary Celebrations. The concert was a fanastic way for Pemberton to kick of their 2011-2012 concert season and Mr Richard Evans was an excellent compere throughout the evening!
Just two weeks later and the band were in concert action again, this time playing a concert as part of Neston Music Festival, on Sunday 4th September. This was the first time we had been to Neston, and are looking forward to going again next year. The church in Neston was a fantastic church and the audience were extremely receptive. This was also the night when we got to launch our long awaited "Rimmer Marches" CD and several were sold on the night.
A week later, on Sunday 11th September, we were in contest action in Middlesborough at the Dr Martins Trust Wainstones Cup. Last year the band were runners up and were hoping to go one better with our choice of "Knights Templar" by George Allan as the march, "Amidst a Celtic Dream" by Ben Tubb as the solo, performed by our solo euphonium Nick Birch and our test piece, the fiendishly difficult "On the Shoulders of Giants" by Peter Graham, which was the British Open Test Piece in 2010.
As a band, we know we could have played better, but were still stunned to have been placed 8th overall, out of 10, being beaten by several first section bands. Obviously, until you read the remarks you cannot comment and after a long day we had to wait until the next rehearsal (four days later) to see Kevin Wadsworths remarks. As we read them, we struggled to work out where he had taken his marks off us from, there was very little criticism. But, that's contesting. An underpar performance led to an underpar result.
A few light weeks of preparation for our next contest were given some relief by a concert at St Michaels Church in Swinley on Saturday 8th October where the band enjoyed performing to this typically receptive audience. This concert is one of the highlights of the year - the audience love hearing us and we love playing to them. Our soloists were on their usual top form and the 'Last Night of the Proms' set went down a storm - as usual!
The band in rehearsal the night before RAH (picture by Colm Gallagher)
6.30am and most of the band are at breakfast, and we are rehearsing again at 8am, same church. During the rehearsal we get news of the draw - 15, after Rothwell and before last year's winners Brighouse - not bad company!
It wasn't until nearly 4pm did the band eventually take to the Royal Albert Hall stage to play their account of the newly commissioned "Breath of Souls" by Paul Lovatt-Cooper. The piece is full of rhythmic and technical difficulties as well as cadenzas for Euphonium, Flugel, Soprano, Trombone, E-flat Bass and Tenor Horn, and numerous solos for all soloists, with more extended solos for Cornet, Euphonium and Tenor Horn.
The Band in Action at the RAH (Photo by Ian Clowes)
The band played well, but knew that they could have played so much better. Good solo playing, but as a band, many of the technical passages were loose and untidy, which is accentuated in an enormous acoustic like the Royal Albert Hall. Results weren't out until after 7pm and the band were disappointed with being placed 16th out of 20.
In typical Pemberton spirit, we were out as a band and enjoying a curry at a local Indian Restaurant together that evening, which was fantastically organised by Carina Halliwell (thanks Carina!). The journey home was a quiet one the next day, mainly because of suffering from the night before.
Pemberton Band outside the RAH just after playing (with our mascot, Charlie Atkinson)
We are now looking forward to some more concerts and the Scottish Open at the end of November, where we will be playing the set test piece "Music for Battle Creek" by Philip Sparke, another demanding work with typically fantastic writing by the composer.If you would like to buy a copy of our CD "Rimmer Marches" come along to a concert, or you can buy one through the band's website, using PayPal. For more details of the CD and our concerts at the back end of this year, please visit our website:
http://www.pembertonoldwiganband.co.uk/
