Symphony Orchestra Concert

The Symphony Orchestra gave a glowing rendition of music by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms in a superb evening concert in the Memorial Hall on Friday 2 February.

Mozart’s overture to The Magic Flute is a work steeped in grandeur and dignity, and this mood was instantly set with the opening chords of the concert. The elegance of the music was supported with a strong and warm sound from the string section in particular, and the energy and joy of all the musicians, who clearly loved the music chosen for the concert, carried across into the enjoyment of the audience.

Special mention must be made of the soloist in Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto, an Upper Sixth Music Scholar. His performance of the work was met with well-deserved rapturous applause from the audience and his fellow performers. For a pupil to give such a polished and mature performance of a piece of that difficulty, from memory, was very special to witness.

The concert concluded with the joyous Second Symphony by Brahms, who rather cheekily described the work as ‘so melancholy that you will not be able to bear it’. The audience were left in no doubt of the composer’s sarcasm in these remarks, as the cheery and pastoral nature of the music shone through under the baton of Assistant Director of Music, Mr Webster. When he reached the penultimate page of the symphony, Mr Webster said afterwards that he really didn’t want the music to end! Fantastic wind solos crowned a wonderful evening of music-making, thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Congratulations to all the performers for their remarkable displays of musicianship.