12 May 2022
The year’s Solo Platform No 5 featured a relatively short programme of nine performances, but one of enormous quality that testified to the wealth of musical talent that we have at school, particularly among our pianists.
The opening item featured brothers and former New College Choristers, Oscar and Edward Bennett. The original item was to have been The Lord is a God of War from Handel’s Israel in Egypt, but a last minute change was necessitated by a late change of voice and so they switched to a most effective performance of Vaughan Williams’ arrangement of the beautiful folksong, Linden Lea, which they sang as an a cappella duet – utterly beautifully.
We heard two clarinettists, Toby Williams, in a lovely performance of Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words and Stanley Wong’s performance of Saint-Saëns’ Sonata (allegro). Both were beautifully controlled and with a lovely legato line throughout.
We enjoyed a total of six piano performances, all accomplished in their different ways. Elliot Liddle played a Chopin Mazurka, Justin Yeung a Poulenc Novelette, Laurence Peverall a Mozart Sonata (adagio), Yubo Gao a Mozart Sonata (allegro con spirito), Thomas Zhang Chopin’s Waltz in C sharp minor and finally, Walter Liu in Beethoven’s C major Piano Sonata in C Op2 No 3 (allegro con brio).
The quality of the pupils’ playing was outstanding and it was a hugely enjoyable concert – our thanks and congratulations to all the pupils and their teachers.
