CONCERT AT WHAPLODE DROVE
31st MARCH 2006
The Band performed a very successful ‘Last Night of the Proms’ concert at the Church of St John the Baptist at Whaplode Drove on Friday 31st March.  They played to a full church and gave each member of the audience a programme and a Union flag.  Musical Director Mel Hopkin introduced each piece with additional information.

The band opened with the up-tempo ‘The Happy Bandleader’ in James Last style, followed by the selection ‘Glasnost’ of well-known Russian tunes commemorating the Russian policy of openness in the late 1980s.

They then played the 16th Century tune ‘The Earle of Oxford’s Marche’ by William Byrd – one of the foremost composers of the Elizabethan age, and he was also organist of Lincoln Cathedral. 

This was followed by the theme tunes of three films ‘Conquest of Paradise’ (from the film ‘1492 Christopher Columbus’), ‘Backdraft’ (from the film of the same name) and principal cornet Kim Huddlestone played the melody to the beautiful tune ‘The Rose’ originally performed by Bette Midler.

The next piece was the Jewish melody ‘Shalom Alechem’ (peace to you) which starts very slowly but ends at a blistering pace.

To end the first half Mel gave the audience the directions to Amarillo before playing ‘Is this the way to Amarillo’.

After the interval the band performed the ‘Proms’ part of the concert.  Mel explained that "Proms" is short for "promenade concerts" - the term arose from the original practice of audience members promenading, or strolling, in some areas of the concert hall during the concert.

The second half opened with a selection of well-known classical pieces called ‘Classical Gold’.  Followed by ‘Beethoven’s Romance’ (from Beethoven’s ‘Pathetique’),   Bach’s ‘Anna Magdalena’s Song’ and Bach’s ‘Air from Suite No. 3’ (the ‘Air on a G String’).

The audience sang along to ‘Jupiter’s Theme’ from Gustav Holst’s ‘Planets Suite’ (also the tune to the hymn ‘I Thou to Thee my Country’).

Then it was flags to the fore as the band performed Henry Woods’ ‘Fantasia on British Sea Songs’.  The audience asked for the hornpipe to be repeated with much clapping and flag waving. 

To end the concert the band played ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ from Elgar’s Pomp & Circumstance March Number 1 (Mel explained that Elgar took the title ‘Pomp & Circumstance’ from a line in Shakespeare’s Othello – ‘all quality, pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!).  Again the audience stood and waved flags.  The band repeated this piece as an encore.

All in all it was a very successful concert and raised substantial funds for the Church’s building appeal.