Braintree Male Voice Choir
Braintree Male Voice Choir
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Reports from 'Braintree and Witham Times'
Mike Shaw. 19 December 2007
'Shame I missed the 27 previous performances!'
The Braintree Male Voice Choir and Bocking Concert Brass Christmas concert has become the popular start to Christmas in Braintree for a number of years. Although attending a number of concerts by these music groups, I am ashamed to say this is my first Christmas concert.
The band got the audience into the Christmas mood under it's conductor Wendy Morris playing 'Three Christmas Carols for Brass' before moving on to the late Ronnie Hazelhurst's 'Last of the Summer Wine'.Three other Christmas pieces followed before their final number for their part of the concert by well known brass composer Goff Richards' stirring 'Barnard Castle'.
It was then the turn of the Male Voice Choir under it's musical director Elisabeth Miller, with accompanist Sue Edwards standing in for Hilary Morgan who was ill.The old jazz number 'When the Saints Go Marching In' got off to a rousing start followed by a much gentler piece in the Matt Monro hit 'Softly As I Leave You. The quartet Dennis Hume, John Walker, David Wood and David Kelly gave a very pleasing rendition of the hit from 40 years ago 'The Jimmy Brown Song', and Lennon/McCartney's 'Yesterday' followed by finishing the first half of the concert with a cheeky piece entitled 'The Girl on the Stairs'.
Bocking Concert Brass, under the baton of Ken Few, turned the clock back at least 60 years by playing two big band numbers, 'Moonlight Serenade' and W C Handy's 'St Louis Blues March'. It's second half continued with two more up-to-date pieces, including 'Memory', which featured principal cornet Louise Burrows. Reminding us of Sunday afternoon concerts in the bandstands of years ago, we also had a selection from 'The Mikado' and 'The Pirates of Penzance' before performing it's final piece of the evening, the 'Hallelujah Chorus' by Handel
.Elisabeth Miller and the choir then took us on a Christmas journey beginning with my least favourite Christmas song 'Little Donkey', sung by an ensemble of Alan Carder, Adrian Wigan, Ian Whiteside, Bill Birks and Nick Minton. They sang it in such a way that I went home quite liking itI It's second part of the concert included three Andrew Goddard pieces, including 'The Irish Blessing', plus the carol 'O Holy Night', 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' and David Kelly and Alan Carder singing solos in 'That's What I Like For Christmas' from the show 'Pickwick'.Finally, the band and choir invited the audience to join in singing carols. This brought to an end a well balanced and varied programme from the two groups of talented musicians.
After missing the previous 27 concerts, I hope to be among the audience again next year.