A Glorious Evening of Summer Music

The Evening of Summer Music is the last concert before Speech Day and the Music Tour to Prague in the first week of the holidays. It was a wonderful summer’s evening, and the music complemented it perfectly.

The first performance was Lawn Tennis by the Swedish composer, Paterson-Berger, played on the Piano by Elin in Year 11. It was lovely to hear a little-known composer, and she played beautifully, with fantastic control; she also had the confidence to enjoy the rubato before the next phrase moved on.

Fola (Yr11) – for her amazing work in the Art Department, preparing the boards for the A Level Art Exhibition [Ms Strachan]

Also playing on the new Steinway in the Chapel, Michelle in Year 9 gave a highly accomplished performance next of Grieg’s Notturno. She produced a beautiful sound and demonstrated complete control of the instrument.

In a change of tone, Joy (Yr 8) sang Dream It Possible by Delacey – her powerful voice shone brightly in Chapel, and she gave a string performance. The fourth performer was Chloe (Yr 9), who played two movements by the French composer and flautist, Taffanel. These two virtuosic movements allowed her to show both her dexterity and the full range of the flute.

Ellen in Year 10 sang Nana, by the Spanish composer, de Falla. Her diction was excellent, her tone mature, and she captured the moorish feel of this Spanish folk piece perfectly. Sihu, also in Year 10, then played Sarah by Peter-Horas, and her playing highlighted the combination of styles for which he is known.

Sigrid, Maria, and Matilda (Yr12) – for their thoughtful contributions to, and reading in, Chapel last week [Ms Boobis and Ms Friedman]

Queena (Yr12) – for presenting her paper 'Evaluating the impact and success of UK Policies in addressing wealth inequality’ during Academic Lectures – well done! [Ms Ibanez-Barcelo]

Merla (Yr11) – for helping out in lots of different areas of the School now that her GCSEs are complete [Miss Allen]

Romy’s rendition of People Day We’re in Love by Rodgers and Hammerstein was lovely, and her control of the long phrases was effortless. This was contrasted wonderfully by a classical showpiece next – Schytte’s A Minor Étude, performed by Holly in Year 8. She lost herself completely in the music and was completely in control of the piano throughout, moving up and down the keyboard with great skill.

The next performer was Meghan (Yr9), who played two movements from Handel’s A Minor Flute Sonata. Her playing contrasted the two movements beautifully, and her tone was lovely. Charlie performed one of the challenging movements from Poulenc’s Trois Movements Perpétuels on the piano – it was beautiful, and she highlighted the deliberately atonal moments with great timing and confidence.

Emma and Sam (Yr10) gave a wonderfully atmospheric rendition of James Taylor’s Fire & Rain –Sam’s smokey voice carried beautifully over Emma’s clear strumming on the guitar. The next piece, the iconic Après un Rêve by Fauré, was played wonderfully by Zyta in Year 9. We hear the Double Bass showcased so infrequently that it was great to hear its rich tone and lovely top register.

The next player was Candis in Year 10, who played Rachmaninov’s challenging Vocalise on the Viola. Her rich tone was clearly evident, and she played confidently, clearly in complete control of her instrument. Alissandra and Niamh (Yr12) have sung together for a number of years, and this was obvious in their rendition of Larson’s Come to Your Senses – they were perfectly in sync, and their harmonies were lovely.

The penultimate piece was Hisaishi’s Merry-Go-Round of Life, played by Tiffany and Samantha in Year 12. This Piano duet was characterised by changes of style and tempo, and they captured the feel of the piece wonderfully.

The finale was the third movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, which Rachel (Yr10) performed with great panache. She was in complete command of the virtuosic elements, moving up and down the full range of the instrument, with immaculate timing throughout. It was clear that she relished the unrelenting pace of the piece, and it was a fantastic way to end the evening of summer music!

At this point in the academic year, when a number of the School’s more experienced musicians are focusing on their public examinations, it was such a pleasure to hear such accomplished and talented players in the younger year-groups – there can be no doubt that Roedean has remarkable strength in depth. Congratulations to the Music Department, and everyone involved.

Dr Barrand