Whittlesey Concert for Household Troops

The Household Troops Band (Bandmaster John Mott) paid its second visit to Whittlesey in thre three years recently. The band presented what was basically a Pre-Tour Festival in anticipation of their tour of Singapore and Australia in October.

A good crowd gathered to hear some of the old favorites and some new works, too. The latter included a new euphonium solo, especially written for the tour by Nick Samuels, entitle Euphonium Walkabout. Another new item was Let Everything Praise, an exciting, overture-style piece by Martin Cordner.

The Troops’ recently appointed principal cornet, Daniel Robson, played the exciting solo Song of Exultation (Norman Bearcroft). Another special item for the tour was Highland Cathedral, featuring the band’s lone Scotman, Luke Williams, on bagpipes.

Other items included Trailblazers, a descriptive piece that tells the story of the Household Troops Band in music and pictures, originally composed for the band’s 2003 tour of the United States by Andrew Mackereth and revived for this occasion. The festival march The Southern Cross (Brian Bowen), another item with Australian connections, was also featured.