author: Kevin Whittingham

The morning broke with better weather in Drammen than the previous day, the hills surrounding the valley finally visible. The town looked so much more picturesque without the grey clouds, mist and persistent rain! Sadly there wasn’t time to walk down by the river as the bus departed for the Norwegian capital Oslo.

Our final coach journey of note was a nice hour & a half run into the city, where we were greeted at Oslo Temple corps by the Bandmaster (Yngve Slettholm). The large & spacious main hall sits underneath the Territorial Headquarters building with an impressive entrance, and a great use of the rooms and space available to them. The Oslo Temple Band even has their own practice room down in the basement, with old pictures/concert posters and a lift up to the platform to ease the workload for percussion & basses!

After welcoming us with coffee and chocolates, the Band had the rare luxury of an hour’s free time to wander & explore the streets of Oslo. Visits were made to see the King of Norway’s palace, taking in the sights and sounds of downtown, and also climbing the roof of the modern opera house in the harbour.

We were lucky to have the opportunity to march through the city during the middle of the afternoon, holding an open air outside the Oslo cathedral. The saturday shoppers along the pavements, were very intrigued as to who the red tunic wearing brass band marching behind the Union Jack were affiliated to. Our ministry was held in a perfect position outside the cathedral, opposite a busy market square with several road crossings which ensured large crowds throughout the 20 minute outreach. The chance to march and perform in the cities, towns & villages has been a particular highlight of our visit to Scandinavia. Taking our message to the people outside the safety of the Salvation Army hall, and the impact this has for the corps and community should never be underestimated.

The end of the march coming past the Parliament buildings saw an unintentional debut solo from a member of the cornet section after the bass drum double tap! The embarrassed player had to suffer the laughter and ridicule of his colleagues for the final silent minutes marching back to the hall. Unfortunately, the aforementioned soloist has bribed the editor of this blog with a vast amount of Norwegian Kroner, and also in the style of Ryan Giggs, taken out a super-injunction to protect his identity!!

Our final concert of the tour featured the by now familiar repertoire (it will be good to play some different music soon!), with a smart rendition of Rosehill impressing the knowledgeable audience. Our three soloists (John, Barney & Craig) had a final chance to demonstrate their technique, sound and soloist skills, before Quintessence ended the half with aplomb.

The lively Chassidic Dance was used to signal the commencement of the second half, followed by the music of Dorothy Gates in All Glorious. Another rendition of our specially commissioned 125^th anniversary piece from the pen of our Bandmaster, Joy Through the Ages was received very well. This music is based around the words of the song I Stand Amazed In the Presence of Jesus the Nazarene & was written with thanks to all those who have served Boscombe Band during it’s existence. Within this piece Starksy hit the heights with yet another top D & Trevor Smith (trombone) stylishly negotiated the jazz solo section of this celebratory music. A final Scandinavian performance of Christ Hymn brought a brilliant end to the evening. Stephen Main delighted the listeners with his soprano cornet playing throughout this final item of our performance.

Oslo Temple Corps have been fantastic hosts so far, and we already look forward to their band’s return visit for our Easter convention in 2013! One more sleep in Scandinavia as tomorrow we hold a final meeting in Oslo before departing for home and loved ones.