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'A Glimpse of Spring' What a wonderful way to herald the coming of Spring! This, the first concert of the new year, was a real triumph and the continually rising standard of performances, combined with the obvious pride and enjoyment girls have in contributing, continues to delight our full and appreciative audiences. The concert opened with a dazzling performance of two very contrasting pieces sung by the Chamber Choir. The first, the anthem ‘With a Voice of Singing’ by Martin Shaw has become a firm favourite in the choir’s repertoire and this was evident in the enthusiasm and energy with which they sang it. Their second piece, ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ was their first attempt at the ‘barbershop style’ – the very difficult technique of unaccompanied close harmony, but their hard work in learning their parts paid off and it seemed to be a popular choice for the audience. Louise Holton played a very delicate and reflective piano solo ‘Octobre: Chant d’automne’ by Tchaikovsky. Her sensitive touch and musical maturity were evident and the audience were spell-bound. Louise will perform this piece as part of her A level recital in March. The other solo, ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ sung by Lucinda Howard, was a complete contrast. Lucinda conveyed her love of the Musical Theatre style with panache and flair. She should be congratulated on being invited for several auditions at Musical Theatre Schools for further study. It was a real pleasure to hear some new instrumental combinations, such as Tessa Dibble (flute) and Lucy Norman-Walker (piano), and Charlotte Mackenzie and Lucy Norman-Walker (piano duet), playing two diverse and famous pieces. Both performances displayed impressive technical control and a high level of musicianship. There was also an original piece, written for Flute Trio by Maya Connolly, as part of her GCSE Music coursework. An extended piece in rondo form, the piece employed a variety of compositional techniques and displayed attractive and effective flute writing. Flute Cocktail undertook an ambitious piece called Espana Rhapsody, accompanied by Mr White on the bass clarinet. Directed energetically by Miss Highton, the difficulty and intricacies of the music was convincingly conveyed. Special congratulations to Tessa for keeping the piccolo in tune – an achievement indeed! The Clarinet Quintet performed a tricky number, ‘That’s All’ and it was a real pleasure to see and hear the group playing so sympathetically and delicately. Another contrast was the Saxophone Quintet playing an arrangement of ‘Our House’ by Madness, which was spirited and persuasive. Seraphim sang with their usual aplomb. First, they performed a beautiful arrangement of Mozart’s sublime ‘Ave Verum’, followed by the popular ‘Home’ by Michael Buble. These are two songs which Seraphim will sing at a lunchtime concert in Glenorchy Church in Exmouth next week. The other two choral items – ‘Music of the Night’ from Phantom of the Opera and two spirituals, ‘Joshua’ and ‘O When the Saints’, sung by the Senior and Middle School Choirs respectively, were lovely, compelling and familiar items, in the middle of and to finish the concert. Again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team of Visiting Music Teachers for their dedication and commitment to the girls and the Department, and all the staff at St Margaret’s for their support and help in making events such as these such a success. Mrs Mary Lowles |
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