Birmingham Citadel Band released its new album Victory For Me! in 2014 in time for Christmas. The CD is the first under the baton of Bandmaster Gavin R. Lamplough.
Track List:
Amazed!
Peace
Victory for Me!
Tenor Horn Solo: Green Hill (Soloist: Neil Blessett)
The Kingdom Triumphant
Lift Up Your Voice
Trombone Solo: Somebody Prayed (Soloist: Mark Sharman)
The Liberator
Euphonium Solo: Harlequin (Soloist: David Taylor)
For Our Transgressions
Moses Get Down!
Vitae Aeternum
What people are saying about ‘Victory For Me!’
‘VICTORY FOR ME’- Reviewed by David Mallett .
As a former BCB bandsman it has been a pleasure for me to review this CD.
The wide range of music presented is satisfying; from the historic old George Marshall march The Liberator to Paul Sharman's fine new festival arrangement -Amazed! Then stylistically we go from from Kenneth Downie's Peace through to Barrie Gott's Moses Get Down and Paul Lovatt- Cooper’s Vitae Aeternum.
Amazed! is an exciting, excellent opener. The band is on very good form and there is clarity and style throughout the playing. Following on is Kenneth Downie's lovely study titled Peacewhich reveals the band's lyrical style and sound. Wilfred Heaton's Victory for Me is the title track, and as throughout the CD we hear very good ensemble work, particularly from the percussion section.
There are three soloists featured on the recording and the first of them is Neil Blessett (tenor horn) who plays Green Hill (arr. Norman Bearcroft) with exquisite sound and phrasing. Eric Ball’s masterpiece The Kingdom Triumphant is the central feature of the disc and receives an utterly faithful reading. Lift up your Voice (Stephen Bulla) and Moses Get Down (Barrie Gott) provide the rhythmic up tempo numbers and once again the percussion establishes the required inspiration.
The two remaining soloists are Mark Sharman (trombone) who plays with aplomb Somebody Prayed for Me (arr. Peter van der Horden). David Taylor’s playing of Philip Sparke's Harlequin is quite brilliant.- in fact we hear excellent euphonium playing throughout the recording.
There are two other army classics on the CD. “The Liberator” is given just the right tempo, while the meditative study, Morley Calvert’s For Our Transgressions with its evocative start is one of the Army's great pieces of devotional music. The band does full justice to it to provide one of the highlights of the disc.
Paul Lovatt-Cooper's Vitae Aeternum is exciting to play and listen to. It also gives the CD an uplifting conclusion.
The programming is good. The playing is good. The direction is good with evidence of detailed preparation and rehearsal. Finally the notes are informative.
Congratulations to Bandmaster Gavin Lamplough and the band for a fine CD.
“Just been having a good listen to the CD and must say you are to be congratulated. The band is sounding very good and it’s a good programme. Well done especially the soloists. I particularly loved the inclusion of “the Liberator” march. Congratulations!”
(Wes Warren - Trumpet with CBSO and former member of the ISB)
“The band is a great ambassador for the Army and the Church in general.”
(Alwyn Green - former Bass trombone CBSO)
“The band continue to move forward. A good program and again excellent sleeve notes. I really enjoyed “Amazed” and I thought some of the moves in “Kingdom Triumphant” were very good. Congratulations!”
(Andrew Blyth - Assistant Territorial Music Director)
“What I like about the band's playing is the breadth of sound achieved without any sense of rush (or overly forceful accentuation) even in the very delicate running parts. The soloists are wonderful both in tone and technical ability”
(Retired Songster Leader Fred Crowhurst)
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