“Wonderful evening”... “amazing girls”... “fabulous occasion”….“marvellous event”... “tremendous performances”… these are just some of the messages of congratulations that have been made by members of the audience following our annual concert at St George’s on Tuesday evening.
Now in a new slot just before February half term and after many weeks of rehearsals and dedicated practice, the musicians excelled themselves in a very varied and ambitious programme performed to a large and appreciative audience. The first half of the concert featured orchestral music performed by Badminton Symphony Orchestra, led by Stephanie (Year 13) and directed by Mr Ransom. Opening with a rousing performance of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance in G minor, the next item was Cimarosa’s Oboe Concerto in C with Anisha (Year 13) as soloist, accompanied by a reduced orchestra of strings. Anisha’s performance in this charming concerto was beautifully controlled both in the lyrical melodies and technical passagework, and her tone rich and smooth. Stephanie (Year 13) and Heidi (Year 13) (violins) and Steffi (Year 13) (‘cello) were soloists in the next piece, Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in G minor, op.6, no.8, accompanied by the strings of the orchestra. This appealing work sets the solo group against the larger group of strings, sometimes in conversation and sometimes together in harmony; the performances by soloists and orchestra alike were assured and impressive. The final piece before the interval was the first movement of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony. This is a work that challenges even a professional orchestra due to its length and complexity, so it is no small achievement for this music to have been performed so fantastically well by our very own Symphony Orchestra. Well done to all the instrumentalists who were involved in the performances that evening!
The second half of the concert featured choral music performed by Schola Cantorum, Badminton Choir and the Year 7 Choir in a varied programme of German and English music, some of which they will be performing in the forthcoming tour to Leipzig and Berlin next month. Schola Cantorum began with a stirring performance of Handel’s ‘Let the bright seraphim’, an aria from the oratorio Samson in which the unison voices are in thrilling dialogue with a solo trumpet, performed by Tom Shevlin. St George’s is cited by the famous conductor Sir Simon Rattle as having ‘the best acoustic for chamber music in Europe’ so it was a delight to hear a beautiful performance of Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock, with Justine (Year 13) (soprano), Megan (Year 11) (clarinet) and Claire (Year 13) (piano). The three girls communicated the music with the utmost sensitivity and had the audience captivated. Once all the Choirs had taken their positions on stage, the next item on the programme was ‘How lovely are thy dwellings fair’, the central movement from Brahms’ Requiem. The choirs sang with expression and lyricism, the Year 7s giving extra punch to the praising section towards the end. Schola Cantorum followed with ‘Wir eilen’ from J S Bach’s Cantata no.78, composed while he was working in Leipzig. Sopranos and altos constantly answered one another in a busy musical conversation and the performance was very stylish indeed. Another composer who worked in Leipzig was Mendelssohn who wrote Laudate pueri dominum which was performed by Badminton Choir; the 3-part contrapuntal texture of this piece is more reminiscent of Baroque music than the Romantic era of Mendelssohn. The final work in the concert was Philip Lane’s Four Shakespeare Lyrics for 4-part female choir accompanied by piano and a small instrumental ensemble of two flutes, oboe and percussion. These immediately appealing songs were performed brilliantly by the combined Choirs. Well done to all the singers for their superb performances that evening!
I have said much about the wonderful music heard by everyone at St George’s. I should also like to say how professional all the girls looked on stage, smartly dressed in their concert skirts and tops. A great addition to our department this term has been the sets of folders for the Choir and Orchestra, funded by Involved. We are really grateful for the generosity of Involved as these folders give our performances a truly professional finish; we look forward to using our new folders on tour and in future concerts.
I am enormously grateful to all the many colleagues from across the school who have contributed in many different ways to the success of the evening, whether escorting girls to and from the venue by coach, making allowances in lessons for absent pupils attending rehearsals (and tired pupils the next day!), adjusting hems on boarders’ concert skirts, transporting and unloading equipment to the venue, catering for the pre-concert reception, selling tickets, and the list goes on. Of course I should like to extend huge thanks to the professional musicians who supported the girls that evening in the orchestra, to Mr Nash for his superb piano accompanying and Mr Ransom for his tremendous hard work and professionalism. And finally a massive thank you to all the girls who performed so well on Tuesday evening, for working so hard in rehearsals, for smiling on stage and for making my job as Director of Music at Badminton so rewarding!
Mrs Lee
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