A Celebration of Music at Merchant Taylors' Hall

Writes Samuel Hill, Music Administrator

We were delighted to be welcomed back to Merchant Taylors’ Hall on the evening of Monday 27 April to perform at the annual concert held there. The event brought together musicians from Merchant Taylors’ School, Merchant Taylors’ Prep, and St John’s School, Northwood, for a varied programme ranging from Bach to Baadsvik, and everything in between.

The concert opened with the Taylors’ Chamber Orchestra performing Rossini’s Sonata No. 1 in G major, an intricate work of chamber music that showed the ensemble at its best. This was followed by the Francis Terry Chamber Winds from Merchant Taylors’ Prep, who gave a splendid performance of two movements from Albéniz’s España, including the riotous Tango.

Next, the Thomas White Singers of Taylors’ performed two contrasting vocal works. They opened with the Renaissance motet O Sacrum Convivium by Victoria, its polyphonic lines blending mellifluously in the wonderful acoustic of the Hall. A complete change of mood followed with Rolling Down to Old Maui, a stirring and heartfelt sea shanty. Under Mr Hopwood’s direction, the St John’s School Wind and Brass Quintet then took to the stage with an arrangement of Bach’s ever-popular Minuet in G.

Choristers from Merchant Taylors’ Prep followed, singing two fifteenth-century Spanish songs. They began with the anonymous Dindirin, dindirin, before performing Josquin des Prez’s lively El Grillo, with both pieces demonstrating an excellent sense of ensemble.

For the next item, the audience was transported across the Atlantic to New York with three movements from Jim Parker’s A Londoner in New York, performed by Taylors’ Brass under the direction of Mr Couldridge, having been rehearsed by Mr Byron. The work showcased the ensemble’s capabilities, masterfully evoking the bustling energy of the Big Apple.

The MTS Piano Trio performed next, playing Three Miniatures by Frank Bridge. Ever alert to one another’s playing, all three musicians performed with maturity and a strong sense of ensemble. Under the direction of Mr Hopwood, the St John’s School Chamber Choir then took to the stage, assisted by Mrs Cooper. Their first item was Sir John Rutter’s Gaelic Blessing, followed by the lively Power in Me by Rebecca Lawrence, which was sung with great enthusiasm.

For many, a highlight of the evening was the spectacular tuba solo by Alex E. (U6ths), who performed the intriguingly titled Fnugg by Øystein Baadsvik. Drawing on Aboriginal Australian didgeridoo music as well as Norwegian folk themes, the piece was brought vividly to life, much to the delight of the audience.

The final ensemble of the evening was the Taylors’ Chamber Choir, directed by Mr Crawford. They opened with Palestrina’s motet Sicut cervus, a setting of Psalm 42 that demonstrated the choir’s mastery of Renaissance polyphony. The concert concluded with Reena Esmail’s effervescent TaReKiTa, performed from memory in a thrilling finale for singers and audience alike.

At the close of the concert, the Master of the Merchant Taylors’ Company thanked all those involved, ending with his own paraphrase of the Company’s motto, Concordia parvæ res crescunt. Traditionally translated as “in harmony small things grow”, Alderman Sir Nicholas Lyons invited the audience to reflect on an alternative meaning: “in music, young men flourish”.