MUSIC FOR THE NEW YEAR

MUSIC FOR THE NEW YEAR

The Brentwood Philharmonic at Brentwood Theatre

10.01.2016

The Brentwood Phil is one of the Mayor's charities this year, and this concert of orchestral pops raised much needed money for a new set of timpani.
Interspersed with genial, informative chat from conductor/arranger John Hawkins, we heard two pieces of Debussy, a jokey metronomic Beethoven and Grieg's marching Trolls, featuring two of those gleaming new timps.
The full symphony orchestra give their next concert on February 13; in the intimacy of the Brentwood Theatre they fielded two dozen players, led by Charles Clark – forces for a Palm Court or a theatre pit. And appropriately, they began with Sullivan's overture to Iolanthe. There were salon favourites, too: McDowell's Wild Rose, and Ketelby's Persian Market. And a splendid arrangement of Ezra Read's fast-moving fantasia Fire Fire, with plenty of work for trumpeter Colin Handley.
To finish, Viennese encores, including the Blue Danube – recalling the traditional New Year greeting from the Musikverein, which I endorse here with the necessary amendment: Die Brentwood Philharmoniker und ich wünschen Ihnen - prosit 2016!