Writes Samuel Hill, Music Administrator
The First Concert of the academic year, the Music Scholars’ Concert, took place last Friday in the Recital Hall. It was decided that the concert should, as in Teatime Concerts, be preceded by tea and cake. Mr Tonks baked his signature brownies; Mr Hill made shortbread, ginger and white chocolate cookies, and a pain d’épices. The Serenaders also provided a number of baked goods, including a splendid banana and chocolate Bundt cake. The concert was a wonderful opportunity for both new and existing Music Scholars and Exhibitioners to perform to a small but appreciative audience.
The concert opened with Aiden de A. (Divs) playing the first movement from Brahms’s cello sonata in E minor, which set a high mark for the standard of performance in the concert. This was followed by the suitably fluid rendition by Krish S. (5ths) of Mel Bonis’s Il pleut on the piano. New Music Exhibitioner Bertie M. (4ths) then took to the stage with the enchanting Rêverie by Glasunov. Another cellist, Thomas M. (Divs) played the lyrical Poème by Andrew Adorian. Another new Music Scholar, Shota A. (3rds) dazzled the audience with his suitably direct performance of Chopin’s so-called “Revolutionary” Prelude for piano, which contrasted with the relative calm of Elliot M.’s (4ths) choice of piece, Paganini’s Cantabile. The only woodwind player of the concert, Dhiren K. (L6ths) then gave a performance of the enduringly popular extract from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, namely The Montagues and Capulets. This was followed by another Rêverie, this one by Debussy, played sensitively on the piano by Milan A. (5ths). Mendelssohn’s Song without Words for cello was played next by new Music Exhibitioner Aary P. (4ths), which was followed by Josh S.’s (4ths) impressive rendition of Chopin’s Nocturne in B-flat minor. The penultimate performance of the evening was by Louis F. (3rds) on the cello, whose mature interpretation of Fauré’s Élégie delighted the audience. The concert closed with The Acrobat, the light-hearted trombone solo by J. A. Greenwood, performed by Alexander B.-T. (4ths).
We look forward to the forthcoming next few concerts of this half term: a couple of organ recitals, and the Final of the Senior Music Competition next Wednesday.
