Music

MUSIC COMPETITION

Senior Woodwind Senior Brass Senior Keyboard Senior Strings Tudor Howat prize for composition Junior Woodwind Junior Brass Junior Keyboard Junior Strings Martin Kershaw Nicholas Barham-Hall Tifanny Richards Tifanny Richards

Martin Kershaw Richard Hugill Dominic Greeves Lucinda Francis Jane Mindenhall (clarinet) (euphonium) (piano) (viola)

(saxophone) (trumpet) (piano) (violin)

GENERAL NOTES

The Senior Band has had a busy year always producing enjoyable, stylish performances and providing important contrasts in our concert programmes. Their performances in the joint concert with Bromley School's Orchestra was especially notable; they provided die bulk of the programme in the Musikfest and then again featured in the Summer Concert. The Summer Term's final week saw them performing at Rowntrees factory for the centenary celebrations and on Thursday 5th July providing music to welcome the Duchess of Kent to the School. Many of the members also contribute so much to major musical occasions. The Brass group continues to be an essential element in our major Minster services and also has contributed to Chapel services, for instance the Choral Evensong when Bishop Trevor Huddleston visited us. A group from the band played at the Advent Carols by Candlelight — accompanying the St. Olave's Chapel Choir. Many members of die band will be leaving this year but we will have a large intake of brass and woodwind players in September.

Two stage productions have also had major musical contributions mis year. 'My Fair Lady' reviewed elsewhere was a major undertaking and the ability of our instrumentalists to cope wim difficult music and the type of disciplines required from a pit orchestra was impressive. Similarly me orchestra provided for the Junior School production of 'Tom Sawyer' deserves congratulations.

Our annual music competition proved as valuable and enjoyable as ever wim lively adjudication by Karen Evans.

Finale

The last two weeks saw a period of frantic musical activity in preparation for Commemoration, Leavers' Service, Concert for the Duchess of Kent, visit by the band to Rowntrees and a joint concert with a choir from Norway. In my experience we have never rehearsed so much in a concentrated period and the results were plain to hear: greater stamina from the wind and brass players, tighter ensemble from all instrumentalists and singers, more attention to exact intonation and importantly a greater sociability and group identity witiiin each unit.

On Monday 2nd July the choir of Osteroy Church near Bergen in Norway provided us wim an evening of church music including Allegri's 'Miserere', Bach's 'We Hasten' and two large scale English andiems:- Stainer's 'I saw the Lord' and Balfour Gardiner's 'Evening Hymn'. All were sung with enthusiasm. During the evening some of our School instrumentalists performed including Jane Mindenhall's (violin) well-controlled playing of 'Meditation' from 'Thais' by Massenet and Richard Hugill's lively and humorous performance of Paul Harris' Foxtrot on the saxophone. Katy Wood (violin), Claire Altman (flute) and Tifanny Richards also gave a breezy account of movements from Beethoven's Serenade.

The Royal Concert on Thursday 5th July was the musical highlight of the year. All the performers gave tiieir very best. The brass at the beginning was sonorous and majestic. The choir, all attentive, sang widi vigour, a sense of line and real contrast. The String Orchestra accompanied Claire Altman's beautifully measured flute playing wim great sensitivity. Mozart's 'Andante' from

Trio in E flat was a performance demonstrating the developing chamber music skills of three of our finest musicians — Martin Kershaw (clarinet), Tifanny Richards (viola) and Andrew Moxon (piano). The St. Olave's Chapel Choir's account of two songs by Richard Rodney Bennett accompanied by St. Peter's Chamber Orchestra were vibrantly sung and the performances beautifully shaped by Jeffrey Gray. The concluding piece, 'Imperial March' by Elgar had all the necessary qualities to stir the hearts of the audience at the end of an excellent concert.

The Commemoration service in the Minster was once again a very special occasion beginning with 'Rejoice in the Lord' sung at the West End and also including Charles Wood's magnificent anthem 'O thou the Central Orb' and Rutter's tuneful 'The Lord bless you and keep you'. These were all well sung and there were traces of tiredness after such a busy term. The brass provided the arresting opening piece ' Almande' by James Harding and also lively accompaniments in the hymns.

Concert

in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent

on Thursday 5th July 1990

Almande James Harding St. Peter's Brass Group Conductor Bill Riley

As Torrents in Summer Edward Elgar There was an Old Man in a Tree Matyas Seiber Hush Little Baby Trad. arr. John Blackwood St. Peter's School Choir Conductor Andrew Wright

Rondeau and Badinerie J. S. Bach from Suite No. 2 in B minor Claire Altman (Flute) St. Peter's String Orchestra (Leader Shan Sriharan) Conductor Andrew Wright

Andante W. A. Mozart from Trio in E flat Martin Kershaw (Clarinet) Tifanny Richards (Viola) Andrew Moxon (Piano)

The Bird's Lament Richard Rodney Bennett The Lady Bird St. Olave's Chapel Choir St. Peter's Chamber Orchestra Conductor Jeffrey Gray

Imperial March Edward Elgar St. Peter's Symphony Orchestra Conductor Andrew Wright

My thanks go to all singers and instrumentalists in the School for all the hard work necessary to maintain such a number of events and activities. Music, I hope, is touching the lives of more and more pupils in the School. As ever I greatly value the support of my colleagues in the department; Keith Pemberton whose administration of Associated Board exams, lunchtime concerts and tying up the loose ends I leave around is a tremendous help; Bill Riley whose sense of purpose, clear sense of direction with brass and woodwind, care for pupils and speaking up on their behalf helps us all try to keep a balanced approach. Jeffrey Gray's help with the choir has been invaluable this year and his sound advice on many matters a tremendous help. Roger Carrington's assistance and involvement in the orchestra is also a great asset.

This year we welcomed five new members to the department. Kathryn Coombes (piano); Colin Honour (clarinet); David Riley and Ruth McCartney-Moore (singing); Raymond Cooper (saxophone and clarinet). All have already made significant contributions to the department.

Our music staff day towards the end of the Summer Term was again a valuable occasion when, for once, most of us are together and can share experiences and try to plot the future. The concert in the evening was well varied and featured more singing than last year and the brass quartet's playing of Mozart's 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' was impressive.

At the end of the Summer Term we bade farewell to three of our instrumental teachers: Edwina Smith (flute); John Burden (horn) and Alison Goffin (clarinet and saxophone). All have given good service especially Alison who completed seven years at St. Peter's but who now feels the need to have one day off a week! John Burden is leaving for Northern Ireland and Edwina Smith going tp study baroque and eighteenth century flute in London. We wish them all well and thank them for all their work for the department.

To all those pupils leaving we also wish well and say thank you for all their efforts over the year. We hope that their interest in music will continue and grow further.

One of the notable musical influences this year has been the visits by other young musicians. In November Bromley School's Chamber Orchestra gave a concert with our band and choir. The Orchestra, drawn from a wide catchment area in Kent, demonstrated clearly the highest standards that can be achieved by a youth orchestra. Our players and singers responded by raising their levels of performance. The orchestra's playing in chapel in the morning was also a revelation to the School.

In the Lent Term a choir from Queensland — St. Peter's Lutheran Chorale — spent two and a half days with us. Rehearsing together, sharing experiences and on one afternoon participating in a workshop run by the young contemporary Australian composer, Stephen Leek. This was quite novel for our choir who took a while to 'shake down' but half an hour or so with some of our own pupils conducting we were producing some unconventional but satisfying sounds. The joint concert was one of the main landmarks of the year. The main work in the evening was a work by Stephen Leek 'Once on a Mountain'. The complexity of the vocal techniques required had the audience spellbound. The newspaper article spoke of the work's 'spine-tingling vividness' in evoking 'the richness of the country's natural heritage and native traditions'. Our choir responded with fine accounts of some tricky arrangements including 'Joshua fit the battle of Jericho' by Michael Brewer. It was, however, the discipline, presentation and dedication with which the Australians most impressed us.

CELEBRITY CONCERTS

Each of the celebrity concerts has seen a good steady number of pupils and we hope that more will discover the enjoyment of these evenings. The Demon Barbers in September were a most versatile group singing intricate arrangements one minute, making animal noises the next, impersonating Donald Duck, singing through a teapot full of water and much else.

Yorkshire Classic Brass in March brought some of the finest brass players in the North of England to the School. In the afternoon they provided a concert for some Junior School forms and then a workshop session for players throughout the School where they gave many useful tips and advice to our players. Marching through tea before the evening concert helped swell the audience. The costumed finale with Sousa marches, stylish cornet solos and sheer virtuosity was a delight. loan Davies ('cello) and Paul Mann (piano) provided an evening of 'cello sonatas in April. loan, whose wife taught at the School a few years ago, is a familiar figure in York and played with richness of sound which we expected. The Beethoven sonatas, particular favourites of his, were played with real intensity and feeling.

At a special charity concert we were priviledged to have Stephen Varcoe (baritone) in May to give a concert with Peter Seymour (piano), Alan George (viola) and Yvonne Seymour (soprano). Stephen Varcoe's interpretations of English songs by George Butterworth and Gerald Finzi were as fine as one could want, excellently supported by crisp playing by Peter Seymour. With extra donations especially from the Yorkshire Bach Choir the charity Breath researching cot deaths was richer by over £400.

The Autumn Concert was notable for evidence of the greater pupil numbers in the Choral Society. Their performance of Vivaldi's 'Gloria' was lively and effective and the solos by Judith Cunnold (soprano) and Gillian Parker (contralto) were sung with real style. Some of the instrumental items in the concert including contributions by the fourth form jazz group, Martin Kershaw (clarinet), Tifanny Richards (viola) and James Hague (trombone) earned the newspaper headline 'Hot-bed of musical talent'.

The Choral and Orchestral Concert in February included Mozart's first horn concert with Antony Dunn as soloist. He produced a performance with poise, a sense of line and style. Faure's Requiem was given a good account with some well-controlled climaxes and some careful and effective ensemble in this introspective work. David Riley was the authoritative bass soloist and has now joined the department as one of our singing teachers. Guy Lewis was the junior School treble soloist in the moving 'Pie Jesu'. At the beginning of the concert the performance of Bach's third orchestral suite demonstrated the steady development of the orchestra.

In March we held our Musikfest where most of the large School ensembles performed, the Senior Band starting proceedings with a stirring march — 'On the Quarter Deck' - and also including Hoist's difficult 'Suite in F' together with 'Basin Street Blues' and 'Birth of the Blues' all played with zest and style. The School choir's 'Seventy-six Trombones' and 'The heavens are telling' were lively and their performance of 'Country Dances' was a major achievement.

Simon Frost and Antony Dunn, together with string backing provided excellent contrast with two songs 'Unaffected' and 'Catcher'. Andrew Moxon played two excellent solos — Poulenc's 'Cantilena for flute' and Grieg's 'To the Spring'. Both played with understanding and a highly developed sense of musical line.

The evening concluded with a new venture, orchestra and band together playing arrangements of 'Girl from Ipanema' and 'So Nice' and concluding a lively evening.

The Summer Concert began with Bach's second orchestral suite with Claire Altman (flute) who played with sureness of touch and bright full sound. Tifanny Richards (viola) with Glasunow's Elegie and Martin Kershaw (clarinet) with a movement from Poulenc's sonata both gave notable performances.

The St. Olave's Chapel Choir joined the Chamber Orchestra under Jeffrey Gray for a performance of Richard Rodney Bennett's 'Little Suite' — a collection of songs about birds and insects. The consummate skill of the composer's delicate orchestration was well interpreted by all and the choir sang with a good full sound. Elgar's 'Serenade for Strings' — one of his own favourite works •— in the second half of the concert demonstrated how the School string players can now tackle major repertoire pieces. The Choral Society provided contrast during the evening with 'Folk Songs' arrangements by Vaughan Williams and 'Some Songs of Springtime' by Moeran. The Senior Band's concluding three items 'Souvenir de Tschaikovsky', Chopin's 'Etude Oplo No. 3' and 'Gypsy Baron March' were well

SCHOOL CHOIR

The development of the School Choir this year has been one of the most pleasing aspects of the music in the School. After a rather poor start I asked Andrew Carter to give the choir a 'clinic' and suggest ways of improvement. Following his advice closely, and then fortunately seeing another choir (from Australia) do exactly what was required, the choir has developed in reading ability, attention to timing, strength of the top line and overall blend.

More music has been covered this year because of this improvement including a most complicated eight-part setting of 'Country Dances', an amalgam of American folk tunes for voices by Ward Swingle. At the Christmas Carol Service the orchestra was used for the first time to accompany some of the carols including the 'Star Carol' which also utilised a unison choir. One of the moving moments of this service was the carol 'Iona', a carol contemplating the whole of Christ's life and death inspired by that spiritual island off the coast of Scotland. Nicholas Barham-Hall's tenor solo was beautifully sung.

The Epiphany Procession at the beginning of the second term was given a new look with some different music and, more controversially, the processions shortened and simplified. The choir excelled themselves in what is always a special service.

In the Choral evensong in the Easter Term two 'Warhorses' gave pleasure both to choir and congregation: Haydn's 'The heavens are telling' and Herbert Brewer's sturdy setting of the 'Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis' contributed to a special service at which Bishop Trevor Huddleston preached.

The Summer Term saw further progress and the regular group coaching by our two singing teachers has had a notable effect in greater confidence and a purer tone. The last two weeks of the term were some of the busiest ever with the Duchess of Kent's visit and concert where three contrasted pieces were sung with style, and the Commemoration service in the Minster where one of the anthems, Charles Wood's 'O thou the central orb' proved a real favourite with the choir who gave a robust performance. Most pleasing to me was the choir's ability to tackle Stanford's 'Bead quorum' for the Leavers' Service. The very fact that the choir could even attempt such a tricky but masterful piece demonstrated the development that has been made this year.