YET another Last Night of the Proms! Many might think so but Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra always attracts a large audience for its version of the time-tested formula.
Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia and Henry Wood's Sea Songs are mandatory but this year's event featured a rarity – one of the today's finest exponents of the euphonium, David Childs.
John K Andrews, at the orchestra's helm for the first time, and soprano soloist Thomasin Trezise completed the line-up for a thrilling evening.
Arthur Sullivan's overture, Di Ballo, showed woodwind and brass to good effect but, owing to tuning problems in the strings, this fine work didn't quite meet up to expectations. (For me, it lacked the "buzz" of the second half opener, Vaughan Williams' The Wasps.)
David Childs has a fine pedigree.
His grandfather John was, and father (Robert) and uncle (Nicholas) are still, renowned exponents of the real King of brass. (A fellow euphoniumist's opinion)
David displayed virtuosic mastery in breathtaking performances of Monti's Czardas and Peter Graham's Brilliante.
Appropriately for the evening, the latter piece uses Rule Britannia as its theme.
In between, David displayed his exquisite tone in Evelyn Glennie's A Little Prayer.
All this seemed clearly to inspire the orchestra, whose performance of Respighi's Boutique Fantasque was full of excitement and vigour.
Further buzzes of anticipation greeted first The Wasps Overture and some more of David's wizardry in Gabriel's Oboe, The Carnival de Venice variations and, as a tribute to his Welsh roots, Myfanwy.
As an encore, David delivered his very own "sting in the tail", Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumble Bee.
And so to the proms. A delighted audience complete with flags, hooters, whistles and Union Flag hats, led by Ms Trezise, joined in the customary display of British patriotism.
Congratulations to WPO and best wishes for the remainder of their 2008/2009 season, which includes four more concerts.
On February 7, they will join with local choirs, under Adrian Bawtree, for Haydn's Creation which commemorates not only our very existence but also the Diamond Jubilee of their own.
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