Saturday 21st April

The bands of Verwood Concert Brass took the audience on a fabulously grand world tour.

The Training Band encouraged the audience into ‘Takin’ A Break’ before whisking them off to Mexico to sample some ‘Tequila’ then onto the Far East to witness some ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ before heading off to sunnier climes but watching out for the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.

Verwood Concert Brass Band’s first set included some wonderful features, taking us to the Czech opera for ‘Ruslalka’s Song to the Moon’. This is usually a cornet solo but on this occasion a mesmerising solo performance was given by Mark Fletcher on baritone. The cornet section were not to miss out though as they took us on a ‘Mexican Holiday’. This was followed by a trip to the Ceylon opera of The Pearl Fishers with the piece ‘Deep Inside the Sacred Temple’ played as a wonderful euphonium quartet of Libby Viccars (from the Training Band), Ellie Mullins (from the Town Band) plus Ian Harris and James Fletcher (from Verwood Concert Brass Band).

Opening the second half the Town Band took us back to Mexico giving us the ‘Mexican Shuffle’ and then off to Spain for an evocative solo performance by principal euphonium player Mike White of ‘The Toreador Song’ from Carmen to take us to Spain. Then rounding off the trip to the frontier lands of the USA with ‘Appalachian Mountain Folk Song Suite’.

A presentation of a cheque for £1,800 was was also made to the charity ‘PLANETS’ from money raised in carolling collection buckets in the run up to Christmas. PLANETS was chosen as it was the charitable organisation that helped the Town Band’s former principal euphonium player, Ian Jarvie, during his illness before sadly passing away last summer.

Click here for More information on the PLANETS Charity.

Back with Verwood Concert Brass Band to end the show. This included a most intriguing rendition of the Italian love song ‘That’s Amour’ with a flugel horn being played into the bell of a Bb Bass to simulate the sound of a mandaline – you really just had to be there to appreciate that one! A trip to Cuba was also included with a performance of ‘Malaguena’ and on a very hot evening the encore was appropriately a very lively performance of the ‘Armenian Fire Dance’.

What a show!

Click Here to see more photos of our Around the World Concert