The Essential Dyke Volume V, called 'Celebrate Rotary', was released in 2005 to coincide with the centenary of Rotary, which has links with Black Dyke through a series of high profile concerts in St. David's Hall, Cardiff. 2005 was also the year of Black Dyke Band's own 150th anniversary.
After the mainly traditional programme of Volume IV, this broke the mould slightly, with a number of modern arrangements of traditional titles, especially in the solos. Roger Webster played Schubert's beautiful Du bist die Ruh, arranged by Thomas Wyss, while David Thornton chose Auld Lang Syne in a version by Simone Mantia, a soloist in Sousa's band, but here arranged for brass by Peter Meechan, Black Dyke's Young Composer-in-Association.
The Finale from Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto featured the tenor horn for the first time in the series. It was played by Lesley Howie who, in 1999, achieved fame as the first female member of Black Dyke Band. Another first in the series was the inclusion of a flugel horn solo, Children of Sanchez. This was far removed from tradition, and was played by John Doyle.
There was also a new piece by Peter Graham, Celebrate Rotary, included for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, tradition was never far away, with Walter Hargeaves's spectacular arrangement of Russlan and Ludmilla, and the 1812 Overture, arranged by Robert Childs.
The main change, however, was the inclusion of a major original work, Michael Ball's ...all the Flowers of the Mountain..., the work with which Black Dyke Band won the Nationals in 2004.
