DVD - RSA 85 - A Birthday Celebration in Music
May 03 2008
The International Staff Band & The International Staff Songsters of The Salvation Army
CD 26044
The 85th birthday of that doyen of Salvationist composers, Lieutenant-Colonel Ray Steadman-Allen OF, is indeed a cause for celebration and, on 22 September 2007, The Salvation Army did him proud, with a concert of his own music at Fairfield Halls, Croydon.
The 85th birthday of that doyen of Salvationist composers, Lieutenant-Colonel Ray Steadman-Allen OF, is indeed a cause for celebration and, on 22 September 2007, The Salvation Army did him proud, with a concert of his own music at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. This generously-stocked DVD contains 15 compositions by ‘RSA’, beginning with the sturdy march, Silver Star (The International Staff Band under Bandmaster Dr. Stephen Cobb on fine form throughout this event), and continuing with a survey of the composer’s works, including the highly original Fantasia for Piano and Band - Christ is the Answer (which surely deserves to be known by a wider public) in which the soloist (playing from memory) is Bramwell Tovey, the medley of Salvationist songs, By Love Compelled, the substantial tone-poem, The Holy War, the trombone feature (with extra trombonists from Kettering and Chatham citadels), Wonders Begin where the Lord Comes In, under the direction of Ray Steadman-Allen, who also conducts the communal song, He Giveth More Grace. Euphonium soloist, Derick Kane, features in Lyric Variations and RSA’s personal musical manifesto, Romans 8, provides an appropriate climax. The International Staff Songsters are featured in a number of RSA’s significant contributions, including O Lovely Name, the extraordinary My New Day with its spiky, Brittenesque opening (again, this fine work, with superb craftsmanship evident in every bar, should be known by the wider world of music), The Christian Mission (directed by RSA) and Remember Me. Vocal soloist, Songster Leader Susan Turner, features in the lovely song, Serenity, in which she is accompanied by Dr. Tovey playing from RSA’s original manuscript. The little bit of ceremony at the outset, in which the sessional flag of the International Training College of (1948-49) is brought on by David Lockwood, of the Band of the Welsh Guards, is most touching, as are the various prerecorded inserts from the LSO’s Dudley Bright, Professor David King, General Shaw Clifton, and live tributes from Dr. Stephen Cobb, Lt. Col. Norman Bearcroft and RSA himself and his daughter, Rev. Barbara Steadman-Allen.
The camera work and editing is unfussy and, thanks to director, Ron Purbrick, free of the gimmickry which marrs so many television broadcasts of concerts these days, while the sound faithfully captures the acoustic of Fairfield Halls (which this writer knows well from his days as a orchestral musician). This release represents not only a fitting tribute to one of The Salvation Army’s most versatile, prolific and original composers, but a valuable overview of the career and ministry of a man who has influenced several generations of Salvationist musicians. I can cheerfully recommend this DVD to everyone, particularly those who are unfamiliar with the work of Ray Steadman-Allen - it is a voyage of discovery that everyone concerned with brass bands should make.
Rodney Newton
British Bandsman, Saturday 3rd May 2008
