‘Showtime’ at the Burgh Hall

What a ‘Showtime’ it was on Sunday 25th September 2022 in Dunoon’s Burgh Hall,- thanks to marvellous entertainment with Saxophones, Clarinet, & Accordion by Dick Lee & David Vernon! This well-attended first concert of Cowal Music Club’s new series quickly became a memorably enjoyable afternoon.

The highly varied and often exotic sounds they produced, along with infectiously witty, humorous and interesting presentation, made for a delightful concert. Clearly the Duo were enjoying themselves, bringing their very own happy, jocular atmosphere, – and judging by the frequent laughter, the audience were just lapping it up!

Repertoire was wide-ranging, including very effective items such as arrangements from ‘West Side Story’, ‘76 Trombones’, ‘Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Hello Dolly’ , ‘ ‘Cabaret’, & ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, as well as ‘The Sound of Music’, & even ‘Elephant Walk’.

Many items, such as David Vernon’s fluent very amusing recitation based on Beatles song titles, the tangos, and the Jewish music, were quite outstanding entertainment.

All the arrangements worked really well, and were played with flair and virtuosity, while Dick Lee’s ability to change instruments and registers so quickly and effortlessly added to the sparkling performances.

The enthusiastic applause at the end reflected the genuine appreciation felt by the audience, who were manifestly delighted with the concert – the first in Cowal Music Club’s new series, - the first after the Pandemic.

The next one, with the Sequoia Duo (violin & cello), is scheduled for October 30th , at 2.30pm – not to be missed.

Philip Norris