For the first time Birmingham Citadel Band were invited to play but with the specific request of repeating the annual January Proms programme.
A capacity crowd gathered for an evening at the musicals with BCB, compere Andrew Blyth and guest soprano soloist Sue Blyth. There was a real buzz of excitement as people gathered and this was only heightened as the band played the opening bars of Goff Richards’ 100 mph arrangement “Breezin’ Down Broadway”!
The 1st half took the audience on a journey through the musicals and featured solo items from Neil Blessett (BCB Principal Horn), 10 year old Josie Lamplough and our special guest Sue Blyth. Sue delighted the audience with her contributions with her unique ability to communicate through the music she sings. It was a special delighted to see her joined by her daughter, Abigail Johnson, as they sang a duet from the hit musical “Wicked”. Josie thrilled the audience with a terrific performance of “Naughty” from the recent hit show “Matilda” and it was Neil Blessett that started our historical tour with “Over the Rainbow” from the 1936 musical “The Wizard of Oz”.
The second half had a different bias as the band firstly chose to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers of World War 1 with the March “Colonel Bogey” and then invited audience participation in a song medley from the Great War. This segment of the programme was rounded off with one of the highlights of the evening - a beautiful Euphonium Solo from Principal euphonium player David Taylor. He followed Andrew Blyth’s poignant message with an exquisite performance of Karl Jenkins’ etherial “Benedictus” from his Mass for Peace “The Armed Man”. This was followed by words and music of testimony from Sue Blyth - you could have heard a pin drop!
The evening finished in traditional style with the “Last Night of the Proms” sequence. The audience had come prepared with flags and in fine voice. The roof was well and truly raised in the singing of “Jerusalem” before the band ended with the march “Under Two Flags” and the Union Jack and Salvation Army flags were paraded in.
What a wonderful night was enjoyed by all - thank you to Doncaster Salvation Army for such a well organised evening and to the great audience for the way in which they enthusiastically entered in to everything!
Programme
Breezin’ Down Broadway (Richards)
Tenor Horn Solo: Over the Rainbow from “Wizard of Oz” 1936
Soloist: Neil Blessett
Selection from “West Side Story” 1957 (Bernstein; arr. D. Wright)
Vocal Solos: Soloist: Sue Blyth
Music of the Night from “Phantom of the Opera” 1988 (Lloyd-Webber arr. Himes)
Circle of Life from “The Lion King” 1997 (Elton John arr. Harper)
Vocal Solo: Soloist: Josie Lamplough
Naughty from “Matilda” 2012
Medley – “Show Stoppers” (arr. GRL)
INTERVAL
A WWI tribute to fallen soldiers
March – Colonel Bogey (Alford)
Songs of the Great War (Wiffin)
Euphonium Solo: Benedictus from “Armed Man” (Jenkins)
Soloist: David Taylor
Vocal Solo:
Soloist: Sue Blyth
Fantasia on British Sea Songs (Henry Wood)
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (Edward Elgar)
Rule Britannia (Thomas Arne) with Sue Blyth
Jerusalem (C. Hubert Parry)
National Anthem
Under Two Flags (Bramwell Coles)
