REVIEW: Night of the Celts

NBS Nelson City Brass Concert, Saturday 4 November 2023 at the Theatre Royal

Music Director Nigel E. Weeks (QSM)

Reviewed by Sally Hallmark

This concert was a tonic for the soul, leaving an enthusiastic audience hugely appreciative and uplifted.

NBS Nelson City Brass opened the concert with a rousing version of Gaelforce, and from there the programme moved seamlessly through timeless pieces like Flowerdale, performed immaculately by Raffaele Bandoli on the challenging soprano cornet, and Blue Bells of Scotland and The Flying Scot, performed respectively and brilliantly by Andrew Yorkstone on trombone, and Kay Mackenzie (holder of the prestigious ‘Champion of Champions’ award) on cornet.

The rendition of the traditional Welsh song Men of Harlech was described as ‘Men of Harlech goes to Ibiza’ and was a fun, upbeat version of an old favourite.

Mike Ford, the tenor horn soloist, delighted with The Piper of Dundee, as always making his performance appear effortless. Mike has won the New Zealand Open Tenor Horn solo championship a record 15 times, and the New Zealand Master’s solo title six times.

For me, the showcasing of the euphonium in Carrickfergus, played splendidly by Ross Gerritsen, was the most emotional part of the programme, as the mellow tones took me straight back to my childhood and the brass bands in Yorkshire.

It was, however, All Through the Night, a traditional Welsh Air, that showed the power of Celtic music performed flawlessly by NBS Nelson City Brass. As the band finished this much-loved Welsh folk song, there was a moment of absolute silence before the audience erupted into rapturous applause.

Not only was the programme packed with virtuoso performances by competition winners and top national performers, it also invited the audience to meet the principal players of the NBS Nelson City Brass, each of whom introduced their solo piece and explained about the instrument they played and their section of the band.

In addition, selected members were invited by the Music Director to introduce other parts of the programme, which they did enthusiastically, with entertaining anecdotes. There was even a prize of a bottle of wine for the best of the introductions, all of which were laced with banter and relaxed good humour. This is a band who clearly enjoy playing together and have a lot of fun doing so!

The audience became livelier and louder in their appreciation as the concert continued – as you would expect from an audience with a large contingent of Celts!

But wait, there was more, much more! Special invited guests The Celtic Pipe Band, The Kahurangi Irish Dance School and Get Reel Dance brought colour, drama and traditional Celtic music and dance to the concert, with their own prize-winning performances woven like a good tartan throughout the programme.

Get Reel Dance treated the audience to a lively, modern piece of Scottish dancing, Shake that Bagpipe, and later to a more traditional, intricate sword dance. A toe-tapping audience applauded Riverdance, featuring the Kahurangi Irish Dance School, as they exploded onto the stage in a blaze of glitter and energetic Irish stepdance. Pipers from the Celtic Pipe band performed Scotland the Brave and Highland Cathedral, with the skirl of the pipes fading away off stage in a fitting end to a truly magnificent Night of the Celts. More please!