Reviewed by Ian Hayter

Richard Phillips, bandmaster of the excellent Kettering Citadel Band, has a fine musical CV, involving arranging for and performing with some of the great names of the brass band and pop worlds, and his experience and expertise are certainly evident on this fine album. His own sensitive arrangement of David Evans' "Be Still For The Presence Of The Lord" is a highlight of the selection, but there's a good variety of styles and settings on offer. The opening "Glorifico Aeternum" sets the scene, with a burst of energy and enthusiasm that continues throughout the album. It's from the pen of Dean Jones, whose rousing Spanish-style arrangement of "He Is The Lord" (here appropriately entitled "Es El Senor") is also included. There is a classic tune from Salvation Army veteran Joy Webb ("I Can Think Of Him") and a classical offering from Evelyn Glennie ("A Little Prayer"), played with amazing skill as a euphonium solo by deputy bandmaster Gary Rose. The climax of the set, though, is the closing "Resurgam", Eric Ball's complex and testing (literally, as it is often used as a test piece in competitions) resurrection-inspired composition. At over 12 minutes in length it is packed with interest and emotion and, for me, is one of the masterpieces of the brass band canon. The Kettering Citadel Band certainly do it justice and their performance of this, and the other 11 tracks on this CD, demonstrate not only their immense skill, but also their worshipful attitude. A wonderful album!

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