We were delighted to play at Rossall School as part of the Lancashire Music Society concert series on 11 November.
Congratulations and thanks to everyone for making the concert such a memorable occasion. Special thanks to Martin Roscoe, Nigel Clarke, Helen Harrison and Alexandra Stemp.
It was a privilege to premiere Nigel Clarke's work 'Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine'. It was an honour to have Nigel in the audience and to know that he heard it first live at our rehearsal in the afternoon.
Nigel Clarke
"I would like to give a big thank you to The Blackpool Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and their one in a million conductor Helen Harrison for the premiere of ‘Sir Hiram Maxim’s Captive Flying Machine’.
Saturday’s concert saw a wonderful performance of Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ played brilliantly by Martin Roscoe (Piano) and a powerful rendition of Shostakovich’s Symphony No 5. It was such a great privilege to share in this evening hosted by Lancashire Music Society. The amount of work that the orchestra, its commetee and Helen put in to making this evening a success is just breathtaking, and for me it can only be described as a honour to write a piece for this organistation. Orchestras like the BSO are the backbone of UK classical music."
The renowned concert pianist, Martin Roscoe, joined us to perform Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. This piece transforms the orchestra into the best of swing bands with saxophone's, jazz clarinet, drum kit and banjo and transports us to the vibrant New York City in the 1940s.
This concert was dedicated to Harry Colledge who was our principal clarinet for many years. Harry sadly and tragically passed away earlier this year leaving a huge gap in the musical life of the Fylde having played an active role in orchestras, chamber music and jazz. It was very special to have his saxophone played in Rhapsody in Blue by his good friend, Lindsay Benson.
We ended the concert with Shostakovich's Symphony No 5, a moving and emotional work, in stark contrast with Gershwin's New York inspired Rhapsody in Blue, reflecting the times in 1937 Soviet Union.
A wonderful evening of music making.
