2023 Youth Band Easter Concert, Manchester

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain's Youth Band in the Stoller Concert Hall of Chetham's School of Music, Manchester for their Easter Concert on Saturday 8th April 2023. Under the direction of Guest Conductor Stephen Cobb, with Guest Soloists Philip Cobb and Tom Hutchinson.
Programme:
Fuego - Paul Sharman
Fuego! was written in 2014 for the ‘Hendon Highlights’ concert at London’s Cadogan Hall. It featured eight young Salvation Army cornet players from across the country. The title means ‘Fire!’ and the two tunes featured are ‘Send the Fire’ and ‘Burning, burning’.
The Crusaders March - Dean Goffin
The Festival March ‘Crusaders’ was first published in 1951. It is built around the well-known hymn, Ascalon.
Horizon - Andrew Wainwright
Horizon - The Promise of the Lord was written at the request of Bandmaster Stephen Cobb for The International Staff Band. It is based on the hymn Cwm Rhondda (Guide me O thou great Jehovah). The inspiration for the work comes from the book of Exodus. Whilst the music is not intended to be directly programmatic, like the hymn Cwm Rhondda, the piece takes the listener through the Exodus from Egypt to the promised land of Israel as a metaphor of the spiritual pilgrimage of the individual Christian through his or her earthly life.
Songs in the Heart - Erik Leidzen
Guest soloist Philip Cobb
One of a number of outstanding solos written for The Salvation Army by Erik Leidzen, this is for many his finest. Whilst in some ways a ‘theme and variation’ solo, it nevertheless demands high levels of skill and musicianship from the accompanying musicians too.
World Premiere, Invisible Fire - Dorothy Gates
Dorothy Gates is an Irish composer who works for the Salvation Army in New York, USA. Her work Invincible Fire is in three movements and was commissioned especially for today’s concert by the NYBBGB. It is loosely based on the tune Blaenwern and it is a reflection on love as outlined in the original hymn. The first movement is entitled “Joy of Heaven”, the second movement is entitled “Perfect Love” and the third movement is entitled “New Creation”. It follows the idea that love (the invisible fire) is a gift from God, which is not always perfect in the hands of humans, but yet perfect and new in his hands.
Interval
Folk Festival - Maxim Shostakovich arr Matt Corder
Folk Festival is taken from the third movement of Shostakovich’s ‘Popular Festivity’. It also features in the film ‘The Gadfly’, in which the Russian composer Levon Atovmyan used the musical material of Shostakovich to complete the suite of music for the film.
Song of Courage - Eric Ball
This work is amongst Eric Ball’s finest contributions to The Salvation Army repertoire and would perhaps merit close inspection by bands in the wider brass band community. The central movement features the composer’s own words/music ‘A Prayer for Courage’, where he urges the listener to ‘have courage to face the future’. Whilst the song was originally written on the outbreak of war in 1939, perhaps these sentiments are relevant to us now, during these days of challenge.
Virtuosity - Kenny Baker
Guest soloist Philip Cobb
Kenny Baker was born in Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, England in 1921. When he was a boy, he played cornet in his local brass band. He later turned to the trumpet and formed his own big-band called ‘Baker’s Dozen’. Throughout his career he performed with some of the world’s most famous actors and musicians. He frequently returned to his roots and appeared as guest soloist with several of the Britain’s top brass bands. He composed Virtuosity for a L.P. recording with the Hammond Sauce Works Band in the mid 1970s.
Sunset over the River Exe - Ken Downie
From the little office in my garden where the composer does all his writing, there is a beautiful view looking westward, over the River Exe, in south Devon. It is a constant inspiration and joy. It makes me most grateful every time it is looked at. This little nocturne is the result of many musings and hopefully it will conjure up the atmosphere of the scene for all listeners.
Suite from Stabat Mater - Karl Jenkins arr Wainwright
i Santa Mater
ii Cantas Lacrimoso
iii Paradisi Gloria
A recent survey showed that Sir Karl Jenkins is one of the most performed living composers. He wrote Stabat Mater in 2008. The work is based on a poem written in the 13th century, the title Stabat Mater is actually an abbreviation of the first line, ‘Stabat Mater dolorosa’ (The sorrowful Mother was standing). The poem reflects on the suffering of Mary, mother of Jesus, at the time of the Crucifixion. This arrangement for Brass Band was made by Dr. Robert Childs.
Renaissance - Peter Graham
Renaissance was written for Stephen Cobb and The International Staff Band in 1999 for a tour of the USA and Canada. The music is music of hope, expressed beautifully in the middle movement where Joy Webb’s song ‘Come into our World’ is featured.
Encore, Quicksilver and Praise.