Music Makers of Milton Keynes with Brackley Wind Ensemble
Music Makers of MK and Brackley Wind Ensemble gave a very enjoyable Christmas Festival Concert on 14 December, with Christmas cracker jokes between pieces (selected by audience members from a box and read out by conductor Brian Dipple).
Season of Dreams and Just another star were two lovely pieces which weren’t familiar to me, with Brian leading from the keyboard rather than conducting.
Brackley Wind Ensemble
The arrangement and playing of In dulci jubilo for wind band was very good.
The words of White is the Winter Night was interwoven with mistletoe.
The clarinet solo piece by Finzi was very serene, a lovely interlude between pieces sung by MMMK.
The Christmas medley by BWE was half the group playing a very jazzy piece.
Flutes and saxophones
After the interval and some more Christmas cracker jokes everyone joined in again for an audience and performer carol. Then the choir went to sit down to listen to BWE playing Finzi’s Romance. Brian explained that Finzi was very English with Jewish roots. This piece was originally a string ensemble piece, rearranged for Wind band.
The Baroque Christmas Festival featured themes and tunes from that musical period (including music by Handel), many of them well known, with all the words in English.
Reeds and brass
The Dance of the Reed Flutes was from the other side of the band - this time all the flutes and the oboe player.
Tavener’s The Lamb is a challenging piece to sing especially for a small choir as it requires the careful listening by every singer for the close harmonies, MMMK managed it very sensitively and annunciated the words clearly.
Brian at the piano
The 2 piano solos were played with some jazzy sparkle by Brian. He had hoped to play football for England however his mother made sure he practiced the piano which meant less time for football practice!
The Lone Ar-Ranger was based on tunes from Rossini with several other tunes hidden inside it, a fun and cheerful piece - both Lesley and I decided that it would be fun for SMSG Church band to learn this piece.
Clarinet solo
Jingle Bells was full of bounce, a lovely arrangement.
The two groups finished a very joyful concert with singing for everyone again.
Programme:
Everyone
- O little town of Bethlehem
MMMK
- Season of Dreams - Angerman & Martin
- Just another star - Barrett & Jenkins
Music Makers of Milton Keynes
BWE
- In dulci jubilo - trad arr Dipple
MMMK
- In the Bleak Midwinter - arr Deford
- White is in the Winter Night - arr Snyder
BWE (soloist)
- Third of the Finzi bagatelles - Carol - Finzi - a clarinet solo with piano
Brackley Wind Ensemble
MMMK
- Look at the world - Ritter
BWE
- Christmas medley - Widger & Goddard
Everyone
- While Shepherds watched
Interval
Saxophone
Everyone
- Away in a manager
BWE
- Romance - Finzi
MMMK
- Baroque Christmas Festival - arr Snyder
Flutes
BWE
- Dance of the Reed Flutes - Tchaikovsky
MMMK
- The Lamb - Tavener
Piano solo
- See amid the Winter’s snow - arr Iles
- Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer - arr Iles
Music Makers of Milton Keynes
BWE
- The Lone Ar-Ranger - Buttall
MMMK
- Jingle Bells - arr L’Estrange
Everyone
- O come all ye faithful
Words and photos by Anna Page
