West Lothian Schools Brass Band
On Sunday 25th April 2004, West Lothian Schools Brass Band joined forces with the Royal Scottish Academy Brass to open the week long festival with a bang.
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The band, modeling their new green shirted look for the first time, began the concert with Philip Wilby’s Partita - First Movement (Towers and Chimneys). This was followed by their newly commissioned signature march The West Lothian by Goff Richards. They finished their first section with the Milking Song from the Green Islands by Torstein Aagaard Nilsen.
Thistle Brass then performed Exsultet by James MacMillan, and the Royal Scottish Academy Brass followed on with Across the Walls by Jonathan Dove.
Opening Gala Concert of the European Brass Band Championships 2004 at the RSAMD, Glasgow.
It was left to the West Lothian Band, joined by guest solo Trumpet Ryan Quigley, to take us to the interval with MacArthur Park by Jimmy Webb (arr. Adrian Dover) and Trumpet Blues and Cantabile by Harry James.
Suitably refreshed, the Band opened the second half of the concert with John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare, in conjunction with the
The Band were then joined by Andrew King on solo Trombone and they performed In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning (arr. Alan Fernie) and Streetscene (arr. Adrian Dover).
The RSAMD Brass then gave us A Londoner in New York by Jim Parker.
Once again it was back to the WLSBB, joined this time by Richard Kidd on Solo Euphonium, performing The Carnival of Venice (arr. Alan Catherall).
Richard, and the band’s own Isla Cameron then gave us a beautiful Euphonium duet, Deep in the Sacred Temple, by George Bizet.
It was then time for the Band to show us just what makes them British Youth Champions. They gave a magnificent performance of the piece they chose to play at the Manchester championship - Shine As the Light by Peter Graham.
As a finale, the band and the RSAMD Brass combined with guest Claire Lynas on the bagpipes to give a rousing rendition of Highland Cathedral by Roever & Korb - a very moving demonstration of national pride in the presence of our European visitors.
The finale completed, the audience responded with rapturous applause, which was sufficient to convince the conductor Nigel Boddice to return to the front of the stage. He reminded us once more that we had been listening to the current British Youth Champions and asked the audience to join in celebration with the band by waving their arms to and fro in time to the Queen classic We are the Champions!
Further appreciative applause brought an excellent and varied concert to a close.
