REVIEW: Promenade Concert Orchestra - Music Fit For A Queen

Tuesday, 31 May 2022 16:17

Morecambe's light music orchestra put on a patriotic concert at The Platform to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Review by SARAH GLOSSOP.

Eager audience members were almost blown through the doors of the Platform by a bracing breeze off the sea, as they arrived for a dose of patriotism dished up by Howard Rogerson and his Promenade Concert Orchestra on Sunday.

There cannot be many concert openers that grab the audience’s attention better than William Walton’s Orb & Sceptre, with its showy, intricate rhythms and stirring main theme. From the crisp fanfares of the augmented brass section to the warm, full string sound, it was clear that this was going to be a memorable concert.

It is all too easy, with a patriotic programme such as this, to browbeat the audience with too much flamboyant forte but this was certainly not the case here.

A well-chosen, well-balanced programme is one of the hallmarks of a PCO concert and it was a lovely contrast to have a selection of dances from Edward German’s comic opera Merrie England following on from the exuberance of the opening piece.

These charming, delicate dances had been compiled specially for this concert, with great success, by conductor Howard Rogerson who managed to include all the dances in the compilation.

There followed a sequence of three British light music gems, Westminster Waltz (Robert Farnon), Elizabethan Serenade (Ronald Binge) and Coronation Scot (Vivian Ellis) featuring some of the best descriptive composing of the genre. Poignantly, the first and last of these three were dedicated to the memories of Lancaster city councillor Janice Hanson and long-time PCO supporter and train enthusiast David Alder respectively, fitting tributes to two much-missed local figures.

The first half ended in spectacular style with Malcolm Arnold’s Homage to the Queen, a quite breathtaking piece written for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Its contrasting six movements - Earth, Water, Fire and Air bookended by a Prelude and a Finale – provided a rollercoaster journey for the audience, with exhilarating syncopated passages punctuated by complex woodwind solos and moments of mellow harmony.

I have not been a big fan of Arnold’s music in the past but this is a piece that I will certainly listen to again. It is obviously an extremely difficult piece but the players of the PCO made it look and sound easy, negotiating the tricky rhythms and unexpected chord patterns with discipline and panache.

Percy Fletcher’s ebullient Spirit of Pageantry march heralded the start of the second half, followed by another change in tempo with Five Courtly Dances from Benjamin Britten’s opera Gloriana, brilliantly arranged by David Stone.

As with the Arnold, the five movements had widely differing styles. Some had wildly whirling tunes and fiendish syncopation whilst others required precise, measured playing from the orchestra. All were handled with equal aplomb.

The final piece of the afternoon was the jewel in this jubilee crown – Eric Coates’ Three Elizabeths Suite, a symphonic delight belying the myth that light music is not ‘proper’ music. In my opinion this suite is easily the match of, if not better than, any standard classical orchestral piece, its three movements jam-packed with beautiful soaring tunes and clever countermelodies.

The exuberant joy of Halcyon Days, depicting Elizabeth I, is countered by the gentleness of Springtime in Angus, representing Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. It was this second movement that provided one of the standout moments of the concert – the hauntingly beautiful main theme played on the oboe, with a spine-tingling horn countermelody floating over the top.

The breathless hush around the room was palpable and great credit goes to Nigel Atkinson (oboe) and Chris Halliwell (horn) for creating this magical moment. The final movement, Young People of Britain, depicting Queen Elizabeth II in her youth, brought this sparkling concert to a fitting end with Howard and his orchestra having showcased light music at its very best and most varied.

An inspired initiative whereby local schoolchildren were encouraged to enter a competition to design the poster for this concert meant that the young prize-winners were in attendance and it is to be hoped that they enjoyed the music enough to become light music supporters in the future.

In the meantime, the packed audience at the Platform for this rousing programme was very encouraging to see.

Long may Howard and his orchestra continue!