Choral Splendour at Autumn Concert
St Alfege Church in Greenwich played host again to the Autumn Concert, a highlight of the school’s musical calendar. The large-scale concert featured a varied programme culminating in Fauré’s Requiem, a treasure of the choral repertoire.
Composed in 1890, Gabriel Fauré himself described his Requiem as a “lullaby”, adding “Everything I managed to entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest.” The church swelled to the sound of the reverent requiem, beautifully performed by choristers from the Junior School and Senior Choirs.
The Autumn Concert is the school’s annual showcase where the Junior School Choir and Senior Choir come together with staff and parent choir members to perform a large-scale choral work. Conducted by senior school Director of Music Tim Newberry and junior school Head of Music Sheila Smith, the event saw the whole of the Senior school music department perform alongside other members of staff, with technical assistance from Drama Tech senior students.
Director of Music Tim Newberry said, “It is such a privilege for the whole school Choir to perform in the beautiful setting of St Alfege Church. The venue lent itself perfectly to Fauré’s sublime Requiem, and it was a joy to see the pupils from the junior and senior schools come together immerse themselves so fully in the performance of all the pieces throughout the evening.”
