Brass Tracks held before us "a kaleidoscopic musical brass journey spanning the last 500 years" – and they certainly delivered on their promise. This was a thoroughly enjoyable performance, that took us to different eras and across different landscapes.
Reflecting the fact that 2018 is the Year of Young People in Scotland, many of the pieces chosen would have been familiar to the audience from childhood years. The concert was very family-friendly (there were quite a number present), and a particularly nice touch was the performers’ acknowledgement and interaction with the children.
Good humour flowed throughout the evening, and ensured a comfortable and easy atmosphere, in which people were able to relax in enjoying the music performed. Each item was helpfully introduced, often with accompanying humorous anecdotes. The repertoire of pieces was incredibly wide-ranging, from ‘Pastime with Good Company’ by Henry VIII, to ‘Tico Tico’ which featured in the closing ceremony of the 2016 Brazilian Olympics.
An upbeat feel was always maintained, and the performance became technically more solid and accurate as it progressed; even the more sombre items, recalling the 100th anniversary of WWI, were enjoyed with a gentle reminiscence of another age and generation.
The musicians had clearly done their homework in researching the history of the pieces, and this was reflected in the how they spoke of and performed them. From the battlefields of France to the highlands of Scotland, there was something in this concert for everyone. The performance finished at 7.35pm.
Brass Tracks Quintet, Monday 13th August, 6.30pm, artSpace@StMark’s