Show Reviews and Performance Dates
Summer Concert at Bridge St. Methodist Church, 9th July 2009
This was a concert for everyone. Such a wide variety of musical styles were represented - from Beethoven to compositions and arrangements by Musical Director Kevin Riley that surely all tastes were well catered for.
After a rousing selection from 'The King and I' popular favourites came out one after the other, including 'Moonlight Serenade' and Leroy Anderson's 'Blue Tango' The theme music from 'Schindler's List' allowed Orchestra Leader Karen Snook to demonstrate her skill with a poignant and haunting violin solo which echoed in our minds long after the final notes had died away.
Picking uo the pace again, the trumpet section changed to Flugel horns for the feature 'Laughter in the Rain', and highlights from 'Shrek' gave the whole orchestra a good workout to end the first half of the concert.
We resumed after the interval to hear 'Moonlight Sonata' and 'The Humming Chorus' interspersed with well known themes from musicals.
This was followed by an original composition by Kevin Riley called 'Lullaby for Clarinet and Orchestra' in which Charlotte Barlow played a stunningly beautiful clarinet solo which was appreciated by audience and orchestra alike. Far too soon the lively ‘Be Our Guest’ brought the concert to a close.
Premieres of new music
Two pieces of new music were heard for the very first time at Andover Light Orchestra's recent concert for Andover United Reformed Church:
Megan's Aire, featuring Jill Thatcher on Flute, was composed by the orchestra's musical director, Kevin Riley, who also gave a fluent rendition, on trombone, of his own arrangement of 'Slipping Away'.
The convivial setting of the Church Hall provided an ideal opportunity for small groups in the orchestra to perform a wide variety of individual pieces, including a Haydn Trio and two Strauss Polkas.
Variety is the watchword of the orchestra in its concert programmes, and this was no exception: Beginning with 'The Lights', written by Kevin Riley to celebrate the opening of the new theatre last year, classical favourites 'Berceuse' by Faure, and Prokofieff's 'Kije's Wedding' followed, mingling with selections from 'Chicago' and 'My Fair Lady'.
Glenn Miller's 'Moonlight Serenade' set the mood for the second half of this full programme, which featured the Tacet Team, the orchestra's brass section, with 'Unchained Melody' and a Beatles' medley. A bassoon duet: Lionel Bart's 'Where is Love' , and 'Those Hot Sunny Days', another Riley composition, in a bossa nova style, brought us to a Western film selection called 'Go West' and, all too soon, the end of the concert.
A LITTLE LIGHT MUSIC
A crisp evening greeted the audience as they made their way to 'The Lights'.
With the festive season in full swing a Christmas Concert given by the talented Andover Light Orchestra was long overdue.
To open and ' clear the cobwebs ' as the conductor Kevin Riley put it, the full orchestra played "The Lights" composed in honour of the theatre and the orchestra, bringing wonderful applause.
The first solo of the concert, a beautiful arrangement of "O Holy Night" was played by Kate Hughes on french horn, demonstrating considerable skill on this difficult instrument, then a rare treat as three flugal horns, led by Ros Yarlett, with Chris Kirby and Nicky Coombes played Neil Sedaka's " Laughter in the Rain ".
Several members of the audience assisted on stage during one christmas melody with their Jingle bells. The three youngest, Gabrielle and Charlotte Snook and Savannah Cowie (2 years 3 months) took the stage by storm, Savannah was quite determined to 'out Jingle' everyone else, and it is safe to say a star was born.
The "Twelve Days of Christmas" had the audience leaping to its feet proving a great success as each row was given a verse to sing along with the orchestra.
Three flautists, Helen Hibbitt, Jean Lovell and Sarah Ward, who had recently passed her Grade 8 , gave us a seasonal "Holiday for Flutes".
As a finale Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" left the audience on a festive high and the orchestra with applause ringing in their ears.
Most of the music arranged or composed by Kevin Riley is now available by clicking here.