movements of the Brandenburg , and the fourth move- ment, ‘Theme and Variations’, from Schubert’s ‘Trout’ Quintet. Meanwhile, highlights from Dulwich College Sin- gapore included a choir a cappella ‘What Happens When a Woman’ by Alexandra Olsavsky, and an impressive con- certo piece for Chinese traditional instrument the erhu. Thursday was the musicians’ Explore Singapore day. Re- hearsals began slightly later, at 8:40 am, as the musicians were briefed about details for the afternoon: a walking tour of the Marina Bay Sands area in the centre of Singa- pore. Full orchestral rehearsals ran until roughly midday, practising in particular the two shared choir and orchestra pieces – ‘Antiphon’ and the contemporary work ‘I Dream a World’. After lunch, all the schools were taken on a walk around Marina Bay and through the Gardens by the Bay, visiting monuments such as the Merlion fountain, as well as taking a quick stop at the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. Musicians were able to have dinner at the Gar- dens; schools could also stay later for the Gardens by the Bay Lights if they wished. Dulwich College London and JAGS decided to take this opportunity, and the spectacle was very much worth the wait. Friday was the final day of the Olympiad celebrations for music. Rehearsals began at 8:20 am, and the Alleyn The- atre had been booked for orchestral rehearsals up until the closing ceremony. The morning was largely taken up by a full run-through of the combined performances of the orchestra and choir, with additional time spent per- fecting the shared choir and orchestral pieces. The final Student Gala Concert was the culmination of the week’s rehearsals, and all eight pieces were performed. The choral repertoire was carefully selected to contrast with the works performed by the orchestra. Notable amongst the Eastern and bilingual choral works was a perfor- mance of ‘TaReKiTa’, written by Reena Esmail; this highly alliterative piece of music, with lyrics written in the Kan- nada language of southwestern India, is well known for its strong, driving rhythms and use of body percussion. The concert was brought to a stately end by the perfor- mance of ‘Antiphon’ by Vaughan Williams. Overall, it was a great success as the final item of the Dulwich Olympiad before the closing ceremony – an enjoyable and unforget- table experience for all.
and the Romeo and Juliet overture. The strings section was led by Ms Larkum, who focused particularly on the percussive opening rhythms of ‘Mars, the Bringer of War’, and on the various styles of pizzicato that can be employed in the opening of the Romeo and Juliet overture. The ‘Bacchanale’ was practised at a rehearsal tempo. Sectional rehearsals took the musicians up until the afternoon, after which a short concert was held in the Alleyn Theatre; this was a display of the music prepared by the musicians of Dulwich College London and JAGS, involving a variety of chamber groups, from a piano quartet to a saxophone ensemble, as well as a sizeable chamber orchestra, which performed the first movement of the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major. After the performance, the day concluded with a one- hour full orchestra rehearsal in which the musicians were able to listen to each other’s progress. Wednesday began with rehearsals at 08:20 again, once more splitting into sectionals for both halves of the day. The first half of the strings sectional was led by Kevin Field, focusing primarily on the ‘Bacchanale’ and ‘Anti- phon’; this largely entailed mechanical details of the piec- es at a rehearsal tempo. The second half of the day was led by Ms Larkum, who worked more on attempting to achieve a richer sound in the lyrical passages of ‘Jupiter’. In the evening, the second concert of the week was held in the Greenhouse; this was a combination of perfor- mances from Dulwich College London and JAGS, and Dulwich College Singapore. A wide range of repertoire was showcased, from diverse musical eras and origins, solo performances and chamber groups. Highlights from the London schools included a performance of all three
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THE ALLEYNIAN 712
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