One of the oboe players in Aylesbury Concert Band is Alison Swindles, who also happens to be in the army as a member of the Band of the Household Cavalry. She enjoys coming to play with us as well, and is currently the Band chairman. She was inspired to propose that the Household Cavalry Band should do a joint concert with Aylesbury Band in aid of service charities, and she was instrumental in campaigning to make this happen. Thus on the afternoon of Sunday 10th March the two bands, some 72 musicians in all, went on stage together at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury to raise money for SSAFA – The Armed Forces Charity and the Army Benevolent Fund. This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Household Cavalry Band, which was formed in 2014 by the union of The Band of The Life Guards with The Band of The Blues and Royals, the two mounted bands of the British Army. It is also the 30th anniversary of the formation of Aylesbury Town Band, now called Aylesbury Concert Band, and of the Royal Corps of Army Music.
The conducting was shared between Major Craig Bywater, the Director of Music of the Household Cavalry Band, and Brendan Gudgeon, conductor of Aylesbury Concert Band. The title of the concert was A Symphonic Celebration, and this was the name of the first item which opened the concert following the National Anthem. This is a lively piece of celebratory music written by the American composer Robert Sheldon.
The complete programme is listed below, but several items are worthy of special mention. Following A Symphonic Celebration was The Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare by Richard Strauss, which featured the State Trumpeters playing fanfare trumpets. Festive Overture by Shostakovich came next, taken by Major Bywater at a speed that made no concessions to the amateurs of Aylesbury Band, and none was needed.
The concert wasn’t all classical music, it also included items such as So Nice to Come Home to by Cole Porter, Caravan by Duke Ellington, and an arrangement of songs by Frank Sinatra arranged by Stephen Bulla. We also played Aylesbury Dances by Rob Wiffin, which was commissioned by Aylesbury Band for its 25th anniversary year.
This concert was originally planned for autumn 2023, and the head of the Corps of Army Music, Lieutenant Colonel Craig Hallatt, wrote Carolean Jubilate specially for the occasion to celebrate the recent coronation of King Charles. In spite of the delay it still made a suitably celebratory finale for the concert. Lieutenant Colonel Hallatt was there himself to conduct its first public performance. The music features the Westminster chimes, echoes of William Walton’s coronation march Crown Imperial, and a quiet central section reflecting on the death of Queen Elizabeth. It finishes with a suitably joyous march for full band and the State Trumpeters.
Here is the complete programme…
| The National Anthem | Arr. Gordon Jacob |
| A Symphonic Celebration | Robert Sheldon |
| Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare | Richard Strauss, arr. Hales |
| Festive Overture | Shostakovich, arr. Donald Hunsberger |
| The Lion King | Arr. John Higgins |
| So Nice to Come Home to | Cole Porter |
| Star Wars Saga | John Williams, arr. Johan de Meij |
| Olympic Spirit | John Williams, arr. Jay Bocook |
| Aylesbury Dances | Rob Wiffin |
| Caravan | Duke Ellington, arr. Smith |
| Mountain Thyme | Samuel Hazo |
| Sinatra! | Arr. Stephen Bulla |
| Carolean Jubilate | Craig Hallatt |