Aldbourne band were once again delighted to be guests of the Immanuel United Reformed Church in Swindon at their annual concert, continuing an unbroken trend since 1963! Performing to a packed audience, the band shared the concert with the excellent Immanuel Church choir and delivered an exciting and entertaining programme, starting 2019 as they mean to go on.
The band’s musical director, Glyn Williams, chose a varied programme of popular music from the high-octane John William’s Star Wars and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, to the chilled Duke Ellington’s Mood Indigo. Many of the band’s excellent soloists were given a chance to shine in pieces like ‘La Fiesta’ and Billy Joel’s ‘Lullaby’ and principal cornet Richard Hughes once again wowed us all with his spine-tingling rendition of ‘Born on the 4th of July’. Inspired by Glyn’s powerful baritone voice, the band also treated the audience to a rousing rendition of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band, complete with singing! The band was thrilled to finish the first half of the concert with a joint item with the Reverend Geoff Gleed, Choir Master and Organist of Immanuel URC, leading the band on the organ in the Finale from Camille Saint-Seans’ Organ Symphony.
As usual the church choir thoroughly entertained the audience and the band, especially with their little ditty about the band’s success to the tune of All things bright and beautiful and He who would valiant be! Aldbourne rounded off the very successful concert with Philip Harper’s tribute to Roald Dahl “The World’s Greatest Storyteller” and with an encore of Festive Overture.
The concert featured on ‘A Touch of Brass’ on Swindon 105.5 FM on Sunday night, and we thank Martin Upfold for the recording.
The Band now looks forward to the 2nd of February where they will be performing at Dorchester Abbey with the Reading Phoenix Choir.