Last weekend Winslow Concert Band performed in the Large Ensemble Open class at the MK Festival of Arts and Drama, and members were delighted to be placed first ahead of strong competition, particularly from Midsummer Players and Champagne Flutes.
We played “Concerto d’Amore” by Jacob de Haan, a lively piece written for concert band that members loved from the first time we played it through. It combines three distinct styles: baroque, pop, and jazz. Baroque is one of Jacob de Haan’s favourite musical styles.
The opening of the piece is very much in the baroque style, and this is followed by an energetic pop section before a calm and more sedate adagio. A theme from this adagio is developed in a swing passage, and the work finishes with a variation of the adagio section.
Members agreed that it was good fun, if a little nerve-wracking, to perform at the festival, which we have now done pretty well every year for the last six or seven years. It was good to see so many other groups performing in the class, including children in the Olney Brass and Towcester Studio Brass Combined Band, most of whom had only been playing for around 6 months.
Well done to everyone who played and big thanks to Paul and Jane for the work they put in on the piece for the run up to the festival – bravo!
