| Archive for The Royal Marines Band Service On-line Community Bringing the serving and ex serving communities together |
| Graham |
Piece played at Chichester Christmas concert, 2004At the 2004 Christmas concert at Chichester Festival Theatre, the Band played a piece that I think was written to mark 100 years of the Entente Cordiale. It started off with pair of drummers marching up the steps, one French and one British. I remember finding it rather moving. Can anybody tell me please what the piece is called, and if a recording of it is available? Thank you. |
| Co-admin |
Graham, I've asked one of Portsmouth Band to answer this for you, hopefully he'll be along shortly |
| Co-admin |
Graham,
I've just had a phone call from the Recording Engineer who has been asking at work and they all seem to think it was 'The Gael'... theme from the last of the Mohicans. Could that have been the one? |
| MrJpig |
Graham
If you check this link and follow it through you get to hear a clip on Amazon http://www.mohicanpress.com/mo11103.html |
| Stellavision |
The Gael was performed at last years Chichester concerts. It also features solo soprano sax and violin throughout, so if this was the case then you have your piece. 
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| Graham |
Hello. Thank you very much for your replies. I do recall 'The Gael' being played at that concert, but as I remember it this was a different piece. The thing I'm thinking of started with two drummers marching into the auditorium and positioning themselves on either side of the stage. The one on the left wore a French military uniform, and one on the right wore a British uniform. The drums, the technique of playing them, and the sounds they made were quite different from each other - presumably in accordance with the differing military traditions of our two countries. The piece revolved entirely around the interplay between these two drummers. It was teriffically well executed, I thought, and really rather moving, as a tribute to all the good brave men who laid down their lives for both sides in centuries of Franco-British wars, and in celebration of 100 years of friendship between us. I'm surprised nobody seems to remember it because it must be quite unusual for one of the band to dress up as a Frenchman! To make sure I hadn't dreamt it I asked my father, who was there, and he says he remembers it too. |
| Graham |
Somebody must know something about this, surely? Or do you think I was hallucinating? |