STAND OUT MUSICAL MOMENTS PIANO CONCERT JANUARY 2023

In January we saw the resurgence of a fabulous annual fixture, the Piano Solo Concert. A purely instrumental showcase of dexterity on our dazzling Yamaha piano in Big School. 9 performers treated the crowd to an exceptional selection of piano masterpieces, from triple Bach to Zimmer, displaying courage and, most importantly, a keen passion for music.

Ediz 10B got the show started with the fast-paced, clinical and energetic Prelude from Prelude and Fugue in G (J.S. Bach) followed by a contrasting blanket of soothing tranquil from Chopin’s wellknown Nocturne in E Flat Major, performed by Haydn L6III, visibly enjoying himself with big smiles. Yours truly was up next, playing a galloping Solfeggietto (C P E Bach) The Year 12 ostinato kept coming with Karim L6IV delivering a lively Struttin’ in the Waldorf (Lane), accompanying his playing with mischievous stares during sudden interjections, to great dramatic effect.

Arguably the most famous piano piece of all time, Turkish March (Mozart) was given an invigorated rendition by Sooraj 9E, followed by Yusuf 11W slowing things down with the delicate, beautiful Andante Moderato (Fauré) Joseph T L6I produced a whole musical story describing a mourning, the Prelude in C# Minor (Rachmaninoff), with the anger-depicting hard chords thundering through Big School. More J.S. Bach from Colby 8W, who showed composure in an excellent Prelude and Fugue in G before Josh 11W rounded off the night with ‘Time’ (Zimmer), a wonderful film score taking us on a fantastic journey through time

Our audience were lucky to be offered some bonuses at the end (read time fillers) from our versatile pianists: Haydn played a well-known Beethoven composition with a romantic feel, Karim gave us a “depressing” excerpt of Lento with a serious mood and Colby struck the positive notes with a cheery piece to end.

Thank you to Mr Buxton for organising the event along with Mrs Gardner, Mrs Miller and Charlie 11W for their support. Thank you to our audience, a varied arrangement of parents, siblings and friends and, of course, the exceptional pianists whose thorough practice, dedication and passion was music to our ears

-Adi L6VI

Stand Out Musical Moments

SPRING CONCERTS (report based on Wednesday performance)

Wednesday saw the concert opened once again by an ar bl more refined version of ‘Cool’ from Funky Bishops. We w then graced with Guitar ensemble’s performance of I’m and their own rendition of ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ by Bru Mars. This was followed swiftly by the first solo of the ev GCSE music student Taz 11G. After being wowed by Taz’ spectacular vocals, Junior percussion took the stage to p ‘Crazy Dance’ and Spring Time Salsa A change in mood w brought by Haydn L6’s solo performance of Nocturne in Minor by Chopin, turning Big School into a serene, silent environment. Funky Bishops were back with ‘Funkytown ‘Tank!’

The second half opened with a thunderous performance of ‘Cyclone’ by our Senior Orchestra, who expertly stayed still through a deafening round of applause Brass Band then performed highlights from Aladdin; they were somehow the smallest group of the evening and still performed a near perfect piece Plastic Fiction then took the stage again, this time cheekily adding two encores. Senior Percussion Ensemble were up next with ‘Axel F’, involving some excellent dance moves and tambourine playing from Benedict and myself, followed by an excellent performance of Conga, arranged by Miss Jones As the night drew to an end, Senior orchestra took stage again to perform Waltz No 2 by Shostakovich and then close the evening with the main theme from Jurassic Park, a majestic and fitting end to two wonderful nights of music making magic

-Freddie 10W

Concert For Ukraine

Well done to all performers: Ismael, Seth, Sunny, Benedict, Adi, Taz, Josh, Freddie, Charlie, Jasper, Aryan, Karson, Karim, Tom, James, Colby, Ediz, Joe and to Haydn, Szymon, Karim and Charlie for masterminding and compering the event. Thank you to Charlie in Year 11 for doing an excellent job on lighting and sound We raised a lot of money for 'Voice of Ukraine UK', a charity who provides music therapy for orphans in Ukraine. Thank you to the Charity's founder Iryna for attending, and to Anastasia (her daughter and student at Purcell School) for playing so beautifully