16 May 2018
Our concert tonight gave us the opportunity to hear some excellent performances across a range of solo instruments and from all the year groups, from first year boys to upper sixth leavers. The second part of the evening was something of a piano fest – of the 15 performances no less than 12 were given by solo pianists.
Of our pianists we heard 1st years, Charlie Leyland (”Cool” by Stephen Wood) and Samuel Hughes (Polish Song by Hilter), from 2nd year, Alfie Luo (Tanka’s Masquerade) and from 3rd year, Aidan Chan (Handel’s Allemande in G). There was a cluster of talented 4th year pupils – William Bywater (Gershwin’s Liza), Tiger Wang (Beethoven’s F minor Sonata), Tristan Mann Powter (a Brahms Intermezzo), Hugo Payton (a Glière Prelude) and Nick Raptakis (Field’s Nocturne No 1 in Eb), which ended the concert.
We welcomed 5th year, David Bicarregui, fresh from GCSE study leave, for a delicate and thoughtful performance of Brahms’ beautiful Intermezzo in A minor, followed by lower sixth pupil, Mohsen Ansari, who started the concert with the music of Iranian composer, Dehbasti, in Rustic Love. Upper sixth leaver, Reuben delighted us with some mature and stylish playing of Bach’s Italian Concerto.
Other performances included Aidan Chan (cello) with The Swan from Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of The Animals, Luc Tucker (bassoon) with two movements of a Vivaldi Sonata and James Daly (tuba) with the Russian composer, Tcherepnin’s Andante, which he played with his typical great control and understated panache.
Our thanks must go to all tonight’s performers, together with their teachers and tonight’s accompanist, and Head of Piano, Lynette Stulting, for 60 minutes of quite wonderful music making.
