W I NT ER CONCERT
2 013 is the centenary of the birth of Benjamin Britten and it was therefore appropriate that the Winter Concert should have opened with a performance of his ‘Festival Te Deum’. This is a difficult work in which the choir and organ sing and play in different time signatures, giving rise to formidably difficult rhythmic alignments, not helped by the co-ordination problems posed by the position of the organ relative to the choir. However, the Madrigal Choir directed by Mr Richard Mayo and Organ Scholar James Orford took these obstacles in its stride and gave a spirited rendition of this rarely heard work, setting the tone for the magnificent evening of music-making to come. St John’s, designed and built by Thomas Archer in 1728, has been described as one of the finest examples of English Baroque architecture. How fitting, therefore, that it should be the venue for the performance of another Baroque masterpiece, Bach’s ‘Brandenburg Concerto No. 3’, performed by the Chamber Orchestra. The popularity of this work often obscures the fact that it is extremely challenging, with each player effectively a soloist. Expertly conducted by Miss Lesley Larkum, this was the Chamber Orchestra at its best, showcasing some superb playing by the leader, Robert Miller, and section leaders Louis Collier, Johnny Vineall, Benet Parker and Ben Henderson. The harpsichord was played by James Orford, who provided an extemporised second movement of inordinate length in keeping with the style of Bach. Next we heard the ‘Andante’ from one of Vivaldi’s double concertos, performed on this occasion by two guitarists – a first for the College. Soloists Dom Rowing and Samuel Williams played with assurance and sensitivity, ably accompanied by the Chamber Orchestra. In a complete change of style, the Symphonic Wind Band followed with three movements from Gustav Holst’s ‘Second Suite for Military Band’, conducted by Mr Eno. This gave the boys a chance to display a wide variety of musical moods, from the opening March through a love song to the well-known ‘Dargason’ (also used in his ‘St Paul’s Suite for Strings’), which was played with every ounce of the required jollity and liveliness. The Symphonic Wind Band also accompanied the next item, two movements from the ‘Trombone Concerto’ by Rimsky-Korsakov. Rimsky- Korsakov was a prodigiously talented composer and teacher known mainly for his symphonic
work ‘Scheherazade’. What is less well known is that he completed one of his symphonies in Greenwich, one of his many ports of call as a Russian naval cadet. His ‘Trombone Concerto’ is a rare example of the genre and soloist Ed Edwards made a persuasive case for it to be more widely known, playing with verve and a high degree of technical assurance and musicianship. After the interval, Dr Carnelley, resplendent in white tie and tails, conducted the Symphony Orchestra in a rousing performance of William Walton’s ‘Spitfire’ Prelude and Fugue – another appropriate piece for St John’s, which survived being firebombed during the Blitz, albeit with considerable damage. This is another tricky work, which the orchestra pulled off with appropriate zest and bombast. The Brass Consort then took us back in time several centuries to the Renaissance, with six contrasting dances from ‘The Danserye’ by the little- known Flemish composer Tylman Susato. Although far less texturally dense than the Walton, these were rhythmically interesting pieces which were well performed, building to an impressive climax in the ‘Pavane La Bataille’, in which horn players Toby Bailey and Paul Kottering demonstrated their versatility by doubling up on the drums to create a very convincing sense of the battleground. After that build-up, it was left to Mr Quadros conducting the Concert Choir and Madrigal Choir to provide a rousing finale, which they did in some style, singing three traditional songs arranged by Britten and two sea shanties arranged by Mr Quadros and Mr Ludford-Thomas. The concert thus ended, as it had begun, with Britten. In many ways this was the highlight of the evening. The superb training given to the boys and the enthusiasm of the conductor was reflected in the vibrancy and sheer energy of the singing. At a time when singing generally is on the decline in schools, it was heart-warming to see so many younger members of the College participating with such commitment and obvious enjoyment. It is to be hoped that this is a tradition that will continue to flourish. All in all, this was an impressive concert that showed the College’s musicians at their best tackling some very challenging music. The capacity audience certainly seemed to enjoy it, as they showed by clapping after almost every movement.
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