Set within the beautiful surroundings of St Margaret’s Church, our annual Spring Concert brought together singers and instrumentalists from the senior school for an uplifting programme to usher in the Easter holiday.
Audiences were treated to a rich repertoire spanning early Baroque pieces by Purcell, Handel and Bach, through to Elgar, John Williams and the energy of Badelt’s Pirates of the Caribbean.
The concert opened with an organ performance from Ben B (Y11), followed by Lang’s Tuba Tune in D major. The Early Music Consort then presented movements from Bach’s Musical Offering.
Vocal soloist Sebastian B (Y11) gave an evocative performance of Purcell’s Music for a While before the programme moved into chamber repertoire, with highlights including Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from the String Quartet and an accomplished violin solo performance of Brahms’ Scherzo by Valentino M (Y9).
Further chamber performances featured Mozart’s Presto from the G major String Quartet, and a reflective piece from Campling’s Le chemin de Saint Jacques by the String Ensemble.
Ensemble items brought variety to the evening, with the Brass Ensemble performing Williams’ Cantina Band, and the Wind Band presenting music from How to Train Your Dragon. Choral contributions included Elgar’s The Rapid Stream from the Chamber Singers, and the Senior Choir’s performance of Palestrina’s Sicut cervus.
The evening concluded with a spirited recital from the Senior Orchestra of Badelt’s He’s a Pirate which lifted the energy, before a magnificent finale performance of the iconic opening movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
Director of Music Tim Newberry said: “The variety of the programme and the quality of performances in this year’s Spring Concert was a wonderful showcase of the depth and vibrancy of music-making across the school. I am particularly pleased to see so many dedicated and talented musicians in our younger years, as well as such a varied repertoire that covered so many genres, from early music to classicism and romanticism, to contemporary classical music.”
