Personal recording or photography is not permitted during the concert. The concert will be recorded and distributed by the Music Department in line with the School’s policies after the event. Please note that this recording may include footage of members of the audience.
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Steve Foster conductor
The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave), op. 26 Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
In August 1829, Mendelssohn visited the isolated Hebridean island of Staffa, site of Fingal’s Cave, and the visit inspired the young composer to begin his famous overture the very same day. The dark hues of the work’s opening introduce the recurrent swells and turbulence of the piece. The second theme (also introduced by the ‘cellos) is one of the composer’s greatest melodies, and he interweaves these two themes in a hugely dramatic sonata form movement that remains one of the greatest musical seascapes ever written.
Romance: Andantino e cantabile (Grand Concerto in F major) J N Hummel
Ivor Amende bassoon (1778-1837)
It is enough (Elijah) Mendelssohn
Daniel Kelly bass
We celebrate two of our Form 7 music scholars as soloists in this pair of early-Romantic pieces. Johann Nepomuk Hummel was an Austrian composer whose transitional music connects the Classical and Romantic eras. The Romance from his Grand Concerto for bassoon showcases the characteristic rich sound of the instrument, with added soloistic flair in its elaborate and generous ornamentation. Mendelssohn’s bass aria, ‘It is enough’, is taken from the dramatic heart of his popular oratorio Elijah. Based on Old Testament text, Elijah sings for death by God’s hand as he flees his persecutors, and his pleas, both desperate and reflective, are reciprocated in the orchestral accompaniment.
Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88
Antonín Dvořák
iii. Allegretto grazioso - molto vivace (1841-1904)
i. Allegro con brio
Whilst it may be less famous than Dvořák’s ninth symphony (‘From the New World’), his Symphony No. 8 marks a seminal moment in his development as a proud Czech composer. Written in 1889 at his country home in Bohemia, and premièred under his baton the following year in Prague, the work led to a falling out with his publisher (who attempted to insist on Germanic movement titles) as Dvořák sought to establish his Czech patriotism in his music. The symphony unquestionably broke new ground in the way that it is steeped in the atmosphere of Dvořák’s homeland, drawing on folk tunes and the sounds of the countryside.
The third movement will be performed first this evening, and it is a more lyrical Scherzo than the composer’s preceding symphonies. A Mendelssohn-esque lightness colours the
first section, which contrasts with a gently Bohemian trio. Only in the rustic Czech dance rhythms of the unusual coda does the enthusiasm of folk music return. The first movement opens with a stately chorale in G minor for ‘cellos, horns, bassoons and trombones, only for the birdsong melody of the solo flute to lead the music into its true tonality of G major. The juxtaposition of major and minor tonalities and a range of thematic material continues throughout the movement, becoming more emotionally charged through to its wonderful climax.
Highlights from Jurassic Park John Williams, arr. Custer (b. 1932)
Steven Spielberg's classic sci-fi movie Jurassic Park celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The score’s soaring themes and rich orchestration make it one of the best-loved in the history of cinema.
All are warmly invited to join us outside Chapel for post-concert refreshments.
PERFORMERS
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Flute Felix Morgan, Shonali Banerjee, Ibti Al Sayigh
Oboe Matthew Rose, Beatrice Selkirk, Zadie Berkin-Evans
Clarinet Helen Williams, Harry Kinnear
Bassoon Ivor Amende, Danté Scott-Horne
Horn Daniel Kelly, Joshua Davis, Charlie Nicholson, Victoria Schofield
Trumpet Baker Mbogo, Steve Walton
Trombone Archie Foster, Will Fearn, Ottó Stone
Timpani Ryan Hou
Percussion Nicholas Tall
Piano Samantha Hughes
Violin1 Maya Mbogo, Emily Yoo, Elsa Marsh, Millie Headley, Faith Taylor, Katherine Collison
Violin 2 Evie Holder, Torah Savant, Lara Nesselhut, Ash Stephenson, Mia Birke, Ruby Dudin, Ethan Chan, Harriet Devenyi, Maxim El-Sheikh, Emma Markillie, Feodora Freienstein, Lucy Collison
Viola Obi Osuji, Samantha Hughes, Tomas Dickinson, Alexa Berkin-Evans
‘Cello Findlay Marsh, Ethan Taylor, Ansh Verma, Elizabeth Edwards, Isabelle White, Atéa Yu
Double Bass Andy Maycock
