Summer Sounds 2006
by Stephen Murray
The Drogheda Brass Band's annual "Summer Sounds" week once again took place in July, starting on Saturday 22nd and finishing with a superb concert on Friday 28th. The week is a chance for the band to tackle some difficult music and, in doing so, improve the band, junior and senior.
This year was no different.
Martin Cassidy performing "Yesterday Once More" on tenor horn.
Right from the word go, the band - under conductor-for-the-week Alan Bourne - were presented with a tricky concert march called "O. R. B.". This set the tone for the week as, day after day, the band were presented with challenge after challenge.
The senior band had from Sunday through Thursday two rehearsals each day of intense playing. Some, however, had four rehearsals each day as the youth band - under Drogheda-newcomer Dafydd Gethin Rees and his assistant Claire Bourne - had two rehearsals of their own.
The Youth Band during practice.
Some would say Friday came too quick but nonetheless it came and, with it, the concert.
The first half began with the senior band's performance of "O. R. B.", followed by "Yesterday Once More (Aspects of Lloyd Webber)" and concluded with an excerpt from "Variations on Laudate Dominum".
Next, the youth band took to the stage. They opened their programme with "Radetzky March" and this really set the tone for a magnificent half hour of playing. They followed this with "Bugles on the Bandstand", "Cool Rock", "Amazing Grace" and "Jamaica Farewell". They then concluded with "The Battle of Jericho" followed by "Let's Rock and Roll". They nearly brought the house down upon finishing and deservedly so.
Basses playing "The Sergeants' Song".
The senior band had the daunting task of following this.
They opened their programme with Philip Wilby’s "Haka" where the entire band stands and claps the "Haka" with some playing in the middle. Dafydd Gethin Rees followed this on Eb bass, playing Steve Sykes' arrangement of "Czardas". This was a stunning performance and was followed by a piece featuring all four Eb bass players called the "Sergeants' Song".
Then came "Vitae Lux", which featured Claire Bourne on soprano cornet and Stephen Murray on cornet. Then came the chance for the back row cornets to shine in a back row cornet feature called "Luck Be a Lady" (from the show "Guy's 'n' Dolls") - and shine they did.
Last on the programme were "Amid All the Traffic" and, finally, "Breezin' Down Broadway" and "You Raise Me Up".
The cornet section during the concert.
This concluded the concert. As one seasoned observer commented, it was the best concert in years. Afterwards, principal cornet and conductor of the youth band Stephen Murray paid tribute to everybody involved in the week and he also paid special tribute to Alan, Claire and Gethin for their hard work throughout the week.