Friday Night is Music Night

Friday Night is Music Night was given a colourful and exciting start by the performance of three numbers by the Wind Band, which evoked vivid memories from the world of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Vicar of Dibley and Jungle Book. This contrasted well with the vocal sounds of Polyphonix as they brought a warm tone and some poised, expressive singing to Stay and Someone You Loved.  Zsolti Johnson was a startlingly precise and energetic Lord Chancellor from Iolanthe, fellow competition winners Bethany Davis and Samantha Hughes delighted us with the lyricism and rich tones of their Chaminade piano duet, and Grace Muris brought drama and virtuousity to a highly accomplished performance of Come Scoglio from Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte.  The Concert Band had the audience wanting to sing along or even burst into tears as they followed the exhilarating Flashing Winds by Van der Roost with perfectly judged extracts from Bernstein’s West Side Story.  Then, after the interval, the mood swung into the relaxed and musical territory of the Big Band. The rhythm section drove the numbers forward and we were treated to The Flik Machine followed by Greg Brunt’s stylish solo in How Sweet It Is. Grace Britton-Knaggs gave us a great alto sax solo in Lonely Street and then Issy Wass sang Girl Put Your Records On with flair and aplomb. Count Bubba featured the stratospheric trumpet sound of Steve Foster and then Fabia McAlindon’s If I Ain’t got You was both poignant and mesmerising. Finally Grace Muris, reappearing in a totally new guise, brought the evening to a show stopping conclusion with her performance of One Moment in Time.