Cowboy concert a real rip-roarer
Reporter: Marina Berry
Date published: 20 October 2008
Halle, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
SATURDAY’S concert was titled “Wild Wild West,” and it couldn’t have been more apt.
From the very outset, even before the orchestra launched into “The Big Country,” it was obvious the night was going to be one of fun and humour.
Musicians filed on stage dressed in every manner possible, imitating the characters we all know and love from the wild west
From barefoot squaws and bare-chested braves to brash dance hall girls and gun-slinging cowboys — you name it, they were there.
But the casual dress did nothing to take away from the world-class sounds which emanated from the stage, from spine-tingling lone trumpets to crashing crescendos involving virtually all of the orchestra’s players.
Conductor Carl Davis, who has been honoured on both sides of the Atlantic for his work as a composer and conductor, did a fantastic job of leading Britain’s longest established professional symphony orchestra through a packed programme of music which dragged memories of best-loved TV westerns to the fore.
From “High Noon” and “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” to the “High Chaparral,” beloved hits from a rash of Westerns toppled over themselves to take front stage and entertain an audience eager for more.
A world premiere of a tribute to TV westerns saw favourites such as “Maverick,” “The Virginian” and “Bonanza” roll into each other, but my personal favourites were delicious renditions of the “William Tell” overture and “The Magnificent Seven.”
Carl Davis welcomed the chance to conduct a programme which he said “reached across the boundaries,” in one of the first of a season of “Pops” concerts, devised to attract new people to witness the delights of the Halle as well as entertaining die-hard fans.
As a newcomer to the joys of the Halle it was a fascinating spectacle.
There are several pops concerts to choose from during the rest of the season, and I would highly recommend a visit for anyone who loves music and has not had the pleasure of listening to a live orchestra.
