Senior School News & Events Two Fabulous Concerts
Two Fabulous Concerts
While many members of the school might look to wind things down in the final week or two of term, it is often the case that the musicians are winding things up, and that has certainly been the case at the end of this term.
We have enjoyed two really excellent concerts in the last ten days of term for which our musicians deserve our thanks and congratulations.
On Tuesday 11th March, we had a thoroughly enjoyable Ensemble Evening with many, if not all, the schools instrumental ensembles featuring. The Concert Band played new repertoire. Selections from “Chicago” and “In the Mood,” and enveloped the concert in their own professional way. As well as the orchestra, we enjoyed a baroque group, a violin quartet, brass, cello and string ensembles, a string quartet and three other groups called Take 6, Vital Signs and Dorset Buttons. All had something unique and different to offer and there were some top musical moments. I think especially of the strong ensembles performance of a Vivaldi concerto in which Louie Kerlogue, Emma Hetherington and Arisa Ota too it in turns to play the violin solo. It was all beautifully done. The whole concert demonstrated what a huge range of instrumental music goes on each week at Clayesmore and the standard of performance in all quarters was remarkable. A great evening.
Haydn’s “Nelson Mass” has been on the agenda for some time because, as many parents will know, we were due to perform it last year but Keith Pigots eye surgery dictated a postponement. Well, thank goodness that Keith is better, but thank goodness also that he decided to go ahead with the performance this year. This was one of those occasions when Clayesmore was at its best. The evening began with Mozart and we were treated to Emily George singing the famous solo motet, “Exsultate Jubilate” which she handled with great precision throughout. This is a very difficult piece which makes great demands on the singer, and for Emily, there was the added challenge of singing with an orchestra, probably for the first time. It was a super performance of which Emily can be truly proud.
The idea of featuring some of our top performers with an orchestra was central to the whole concert. Emma Hetherington performed next the middle movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A major. Not only did Emma play with great grace and accuracy, but she too had to cope, not only with an orchestra, but with an unfamiliar piano. Nobody would have known! And indeed, nobody would have known that this whole concert came together just in the one afternoon preceding it. Just one chance to run through with the orchestra is all they had! Arisa Ota, the youngest of all the evenings soloists, played the lovely third movement from Mozart’s Violin Concerto in D major with great lyricism, her violin singing through the notes and phrases with a fluency that would defy players three times her years.
The “Nelson Mass” itself was heroic in performance with Cantantes Clayesmore making the walls of the chapel ring. Charlotte Hewett was in mid-season form with her voice carrying right to the very back of chapel above the orchestra. Again, this was a wonderful opportunity for Charlotte to perform with orchestra, but also to perform with other more experienced solo singers. All of these had a Clayesmore connection of course – how lovely to have the chance to hear Mrs Lesley Thompson singing, someone who has inspired so much excellent music-making over the years. Tim Trenchard, tenor, is an old and great friend of Clayesmore. Indeed, he is an Old Clayesmorian and three times a Clayesmore parent. Charles Hetherington was the solo bass, and is of course Emma’s father. He is actually, four times a Clayesmore parent! We are very grateful to Charles and Tim for their major contribution to our music making over many years.
What a way to end the term! Well done to all our remarkable pupil soloists who made this such a special event. Well done to all the singers and orchestral players and our grateful thanks to Keith Pigot, Director of Music, who drew such excellence from everybody.