© 2023 West Oxfordshire Winds

West Oxfordshire Winds

 

WOC’s Programme:

Aragonaise (from Carmen) - Bizet

Berceuse - Fauré arr. Marks

Summertime - Gershwin arr. Marshall

Two Cuban Dances - Cervantes

On My Own - Schonberg  arr. Marks

Copenhagen - Davis arr. Reinier

 

WOL’s Programme:

Allegretto - Beethoven arr. Marks

The Broken Marionette - Balmages

Scherzo-Phrenia - Sebesky

Fun for Band -  Goosensen

 

WOW’s Programme:

Ashford Variations -  J Swearingen

Hallelujah - L Cohen arr Brown

Palladio - K Jenkins arr Longfield

Don’t Stop Me Now -  F Mercury arr. Murtha

Mary Poppins - R. Sherman arr. Ricketts

WOC kicked off the evening with a warm program made brighter still by their colourful coordinating scarves. With four different sizes of clarinet; bass, alto, Eb and the standard Bb, augmenting the range of the sound, they made an exultant start with the energetic Spanish Aragonaise, contrasted with the second piece, the distinctly French gentle lullaby Berceuse. The loss of the lyrics was more than made up for in the two show tunes; Summertime from Porgy and Bess and On My Own from Les Miserables by the highly expressive playing in the melody line. The first of the Cuban dances was equally lyrical, whilst in the second we could imagine the sound of castanets accompanying it. Copenhagen brought the program to an exciting and satisfying end.

 

WOL demonstrated a fantastic standard in what was only their second concert. The group, mainly comprised of beginners and less experienced players of all ages, gave a fantastic performance including the Allegretto, which moved along gracefully despite being a challenging piece to keep steady. The Broken Marionette was fun and full of character, whilst Scherzo-phrenia lived up to its name; playful and vigorous. The group's final piece, Fun For Band not only demonstrated their ability and ensemble, but equally fantastic enthusiasm.

 

WOW always provide a highly entertaining and fun program, balancing familiar tunes with new ones. Beginning with the Ashford Variations, the band immediately demonstrated their full and warm sound. Jenkins' Palladio was instantly recognisable from its use in film and TV. The excitement and beauty of the piece made this a thrilling performance. There was undoubtedly some singing along from the audience in the final piece, the thoroughly enjoyable Mary Poppins Medley, featuring favourite songs from the musical film; the emotional and resonant Hallelujah which built in power throughout; and the unmistakable hit from rock band Queen Don't Stop Me Now, which translated fantastically to wind and brass ensemble, and boasted in particular a brilliant saxophone solo. With full audience enthusiasm behind them WOW brought the evening to a close, though there was a sense that, to paraphrase Freddie Mercury, we were having such a good time, we didn't want to stop at all.     (Maddy Southey)