Memorable Concerto Concert

A truly memorable and inspiring took place on Thursday evening in King George's Hall. Three of the College's leading ensembles performed, helping to show case the talents of some of the school's leading musicians.

The programme opened with a performance of Concerto No. 11 in D minor for Two Violins and Cello by Antonio Vivaldi. The soloists were Becky Nall (Upper Sixth), Julian Issa (Upper Sixth) and Matthew Burgess (Year 11). Their performance of the Concerto's three movements opened the evening magnificently, with the First String Orchestra providing a rich tone by way of support.

The Symphony Orchestra performed next, providing the accompaniment to three Concerto movements performed by different pupils. Matthew Stokes (Upper Sixth) performed the first movement of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor with great assurance and style, impressing the audience with his dexterity on the keyboard. His performance was given entirely by heart, making his impressive cadenza performance especially impressive.

Gregory Liddington (Upper Sixth) presented the final two movements of Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 2 in Eb next, producing a musical and legato line in the Andante and admirably capturing the jollity of the final Rondo. The Symphony Orchestra's final performance was to accompany Emma Burgess (Upper Sixth) as she delivered a truly memorable performance of Weber's Concertino for Clarinet. Her performance displayed some exciting technical fireworks as well as some beautiful melodic interpretations.

The concert concluded with a medley of famous tunes from the late 1920s performed by the Concert Band. The toe-tapping rendition featured well-known songs such as Spread a Little Happiness, One Alone, Softly in the Morning Sunrise, The Desert Song, The Birth of the Blues, S'Wonderful, Lover Come Back and The Man I Love. The Band played with real control and rhythmic tightness, rounding off a most impressive evening in true style.