Reviews

 May 21st 2010 TAVERHAM BRASS BAND COMES TO HAWORTH

HaworthConcertPoster010510_thumbOn Saturday May 1st the Haworth Bandstand Committee held a fund raising concert by the Taverham Brass Band from Norfolk at the Haworth Community Centre. This Band specialises in fund raising for charity and after reading about the Friends of the Park’s Bandstand project on the Haworth Village website, offered to come and give a hand as they were touring Yorkshire during the May Bank holiday weekend. They played a cross section of well known musical pieces, including selections from Les Miserables and Jesus Christ Superstar, through to a rousing rendition of the Batman theme and finishing with The Floral Dance as an encore. There were over 30 musicians performing including some juniors. The performance was slick and positive in approach with their Musical Director and Conductor Ian Colman interspersing the numbers with well delivered anecdotes and jokes that entertained and kept a happy atmosphere throughout the concert.

The bandstand committee would like to thank the many local businesses for the large number of raffle prizes donated and the first four Pubs approached, namely The Olde Hall, The Black Bull, The Kings Arms and The Sun who kindly supplied sandwiches for the band. The evening was a great success; the Band received a standing ovation from a full house and a total of £401.00 was raised towards the new bandstand for Haworth Central Park.

With thanks and acknowledgement to the Haworth Village Website

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The “Bronte Family” review of our concert in Haworth, West Yorkshire on Saturday 1st May 2010

patrick_thumbThe Reverend Patrick Bronte ministered to the parish at Haworth for over 40 years and fathered six children in the process, outliving all of them – but he and his literary progeny had no knowledge or experience of brass bands.

This is a pity.

Had they grown up 150 years later his daughters would undoubtedly have responded to the cultural stimulus occasioned by music making in Haworth, which might well have resulted in a valuable addition to our literary heritage, along the following lines:

Diary of Charlotte Bronte 30th April 2010

 

charlotte_thumb“What excitement in the household! Father has bought tickets for Emily and me to attend a brass band concert in the village, and we have the best seats in the third row. Branwell said he would not come and threatened to take himself off to the Black Bull as usual, but when he heard that this was no ordinary concert by a coarse Colliery Band but rather an extraordinary ensemble from the East of England he relented and has consented to accompany us. Father has planned a long walk over the moors with our beloved Labradors Brighouse and Rastrick, and we have permission to be out late until midnight.”

Diary of Emily Bronte 2nd May 2010
 
emilyp_thumb“What a magnificent concert! The sheer brilliance of the musicianship sent a shiver of pure emotion through my corsets I had not experienced since that moonlit night behind the Community Centre three months ago which I blamed on the dry white wine.
 
So many handsome men! They all looked so debonair in their smart uniforms and played my favourite music so enthusiastically. The conductor perspired a lot but was full of lively stories: Charlotte was particularly amused by the anecdote about the alligators, which I’m not sure I entirely understood (I must tell it to father, although I have a feeling he might not approve).
 
There was even a raffle, and I won a prize. So did most of the band although I confess to a degree of suspicion that some winning tickets were being passed along the percussion section to the lady with the vibraphone – I think that is what they called it. I must remember to tell the maid to return the egg box. During the interval I overheard one of the cornet players talking on his mobile telephone. Apparently he needed a lift engineer to immobilise one of the lifts in their hotel so that he could spend some quality time with a friend of his. What a peculiar request.
 
I was shocked on the way home to be accosted by a coach driver who made an impertinent suggestion (which I politely declined) and then asked me the way to Bradford. I decided to teach him a lesson and pointed him in the direction of the moors and Lancashire. I do hope he got home safely.
 
It was a lovely evening and I do hope they come back next year.” 
   
With thanks and acknowledgement to Nick Butcher!