Black Dyke Band made a triumphant return to the Bermuda Festival at Ruth Seaton James on Friday with an exceptionally entertaining concert.

Dressed in their black uniforms with red lapels they held their awe-struck audience in rapt attention during both halves of the programme and left with an encore demanded by an enthusiastic audience on the feet in loud appreciation.

The programme opened with an arrangement of JS Bach's Toccata in D Minor. Brass purists had to set their prejudices aside, for this was a popular version with rhythm supplied by a trap set, and xylophone, producing a fresh blend of timbre in passages where this pitched percussion instrument doubled with the first cornets.

This was a feature of the whole evening's offering, as various composers' and arrangers' works integrated the percussion to a greater extent than is usual for brass banding.

But this was not just any old band, as the engaging director Dr. Nicholas Childs told us.

"The best brass bands in the world are in Europe,and the best bands of Europe are in Britain, and", added with a deprecatory shrug, the conclusion by now obvious, "this is the best band in Britain".

In the world, therefore. No one in the audience was disposed to challenge that assertion.

That was because, I believe, virtuosity is so commonplace in this band, that we the audience soon took this for granted. Dr. Childs, who was an as engaging a presenter as he was immaculate a conductor, announced a change from the printed programme and we were offered 'Le Corsair'. the band at full blast was impressive, as perhaps only brass can be.

It was breath-taking to hear the cornets play the violins' part in this transcription; a dozen players at full tilt, phrasing as one, exploring the extremities, high and low of the cornet's range.

Not just the cornets, but the entire band displayed a the highest level of proficiency. Cornetist Roger Webster was introduced as the best in the world, and played a modern version of "Carnival of Venice".

He possessed a tone of exceptional clarity and directness. He tripped effortlessly through the piece, with immaculate articulation.

During one special variation we heard the execution of grupetto so splendid it was as if it were being executed by more than one player.

The idea of grupetto is to distinguish a melody from the rest of it's contrapuntal strain, rhythmic and harmonic, by its careful accentuation. Webster's performance was a tour de force, more exceptional for appearing so effortless. the solo was also significant for the use of effects borrowed from the jazz repertoire of the cornet's better known cousin the trumpet; shakes, lip-trills, half stops,and so on.

The whole cornet section was next on display, front and centre, spread across the width of the stage to perform Harry James 'Trumpet Blues and and Cantabile".

This was as exciting as sight as we saw all night, and the sound did more than justice to it. Somehow the timbre of this ensemble managed to sound as it it indeed were a swing band with that characteristic close voicing of clarinet and alto saxophones along with the trumpets. Remarkable.

And the trombones, bells to the ceiling, like a big band section chimed in. Composer Peter Graham's "Windows of the World" was next, three movements of the six, featured.

They were, The Amazon, The Rain Forest, and Drums of Thunder. The percussion came into their own in these pieces as well as a tenor horn duet;extremely evocative of the atmosphere's to which the titles alluded. The second half featured other pieces of great interest; A fanfare-like opening, in which the band gave the aural equivalent of a Mexican Wave, taking a swirling scalic passage and passing it along the sections in turn, from cornets to bombardons.

There was a medley of Beatles' hits; Yellow Submarine, and Lady Madonna, the former featuring a traditional bass and trombone 'trio' section to wind up the march.

Leslie Howe came forward to play a transcription of the Finale of Mendelssohn's violin Concerto with calm bravura.

The choice of timbre I considered a little unfortunate, since the tenor horn colour tended to get lost against the other alto and tenor voiced instruments. still there was no mistaking her virtuosity. There was also a soloist showcase, featuring the principal players of each section.

The amusing pair of, first trombonist Brett Baker, then droll tuba playing Joseph Cook were truly entertaining, while still performing their solos to perfection.

Mathew Routley set the scene for the band's rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. The band did the rest, superbly.

Naturally there was an encore, a 'Cossack Wedding Dance.' The audience clapped along, and the bandsmen shouted.

Before the second encore Dr. Childs mentioned the long association Mr. Peter Lloyd had with the band and dedicated the hymn, 'How Great Thou Art' to Mr. Lloyd.

Although she was never introduced mention must be made of the sterling work of the Soprano cornetist throughout the evening's performance.

It literally topped the splendid performances of the evening. Davis Thorton's artistry on the euphonium, especially on Gregson's Symphonic Rhapsody deserves much greater mention that this already over crowded space affords.