“Scotland meets Vienna” was billed as a concert of Viennese and Celtic music featuring West Lothian Schools Brass Band and West Lothian Schools Wind Ensemble, conducted by Nigel Boddice MBE and Andrew Duncan.
With the Regal Community Theatre filled to capacity, the evening’s music began with Nigel Boddice conducting the Brass Band playing Richard Strauss’s “Fest Musik der Stadt Vien”.
This was followed by three further items from the Brass Band :- “Breakout” (from Cry of the Celts) by Peter Graham, “Rowan Tree” arr. by Adrian Drover and finally “Skirl” by A. Street.
It was then the turn of the Wind Band conducted by Andy Duncan who performed “Finnegan’s Wake” by R.J. Potter and “For the Love of a Princess” (from Braveheart) by John Williams.
It was the combined forces of the Brass and Wind Bands under the direction of Nigel Bodice who took us to the interval with the well known “Radetsky March” by Johann Strauss.
After a short break, the second half of the concert got off to a stirring start with Andy Duncan’s own composition “The Declaration of Arbroath” featuring both the Brass and Wind Bands conducted by Andy Duncan, backed up by the narration skills of Lawrence Fitzpatrick and featuring Graeme Drummond on bagpipes, all conducted by Nigel Boddice.
The Wind Band, conducted by Andy Duncan, slowed things down a little with “Loch Lomond” by F. Tichelli and “Freyas Call” by Andy Duncan.
It was the turn of the Brass Band again under the direction of Nigel Boddice who gave us three Richard Strauss compositions - the “Champagne Polka”, the “Tritsch Trarsch Polka” and the “Blue Danube” waltz.
Nigel Boddice had intimated his intentions that this concert should become a regular feature in the calendar as a “New Year” concert, and hence it was only fitting that the Brass and Wind Bands combined once again for the finale, playing the traditional “Auld Lang Syne”, conducted by Nigel Boddice.
However, with a little bit of encouragement from the very appreciative audience (a standing ovation, in no way orchestrated by Nigel himself!), the massed Brass and Wind Bands were joined once again by Graeme Drummond on the bagpipes for that most rousing of encores - “Highland Cathedral”
An emotional finale to an excellent evening’s entertainment.
