Junior School Music Festival

This year's festival takes place on Thursday 31st May, 2012 in the Ivy Coleman Recital Hall, and is adjudicated by Mr Jeremy Isaac, from the English Chamber Orchestra.

The classes run from 8.35am until 4.35pm - click here for the schedule
The Prizewinners' Concert will be a 7.00pm in the Recital Hall

Do please support our pupils throughout the day and during the evening concert in what promises to be an impressive display of talent.

WMB

Gala Concert

Thursday 15th March, 2012

Canterbury Cathedral

There was a breathless rush in the Cathedral Close last night as cars were parked, instruments collected and singers and musicians assembled. There was an air of expectancy in the audience too which gathered in the Nave in front of the choirs’ vertiginous scaffolding as friends and family from far and wide awaited the Gala Concert – one of the highlights of the St Edmund’s year, the musical apogee.

Will Bersey’s selections are always demanding, fascinating and, to tutored and untutored ear alike, a delight. This concert promised, sparkle, joy, magnificence and mystery. The programme notes highlighted this range as well as providing a brilliant musical synopsis to enrich our understanding.

The evening began with Brahms whose Academic Festival Overture had been described as ‘built like a tank’. The witty anecdotes provided useful foregrounding for the listener as the St Edmund’s Symphony Orchestra, embellished with players from the recent past and four distinguished instrumentalists from the English Chamber Orchestra, engineered the necessary momentum for this powerful pastiche. We were marched forth, wooed lyrically, bassooned, and even ‘unbuttoned’ in the climactic coda. The musicians enacted the story of this ‘little jest’ by the august Brahms who teased his dedicatee and parodied his fellow composer, with a sonorous rendition that filled the Nave. One had the feeling that although the Breslau conductor, Herr Scholz and the parodied Bruckner might have taken the joke in different ways, Brahms never composed anything without full relish. Under Will Bersey’s baton, every member of the orchestra was engaged in moving the tank majestically forward. An opening salvo indeed!

The shift in tone that Mozart brings was, as always, a joy. This short-lived genius is a musician for all ages and all time. To take an instrument like the horn and transform it into such suppleness of sound and coruscating cascades of harmony is true testimony to that genius. Enter Thaddeus Bebb! Tad is one of the great servants of St Edmund’s music and in this his final year how lovely it was to see him take centre stage under the sensitive baton of Spencer Payne, and deliver the First Movement of Concerto No. 3 (K477).  Moving through the keys as well as the dynamics required top class playing. Tad – you provided it with distinction. Bravo!

The next item was something that Will Bersey always celebrates – the joy of English choral music and often its rootedness in the culture of these islands. The Songs of Travel by Vaughan Williams are just such a selection. This cycle from Edwardian times adds a folk element to the Romantic European tradition and also offers less of a linked narrative than its continental forebears. Its discrete components reflect Robert Louis Stevenson’s poems but its variety is nonetheless part of an overarching aural metaphor of resolution in the face of life’s trials.  It was, definitively, the perfect platform for our troubadour of the evening, Tom Lowen. Tom has been singing since the day he was born! With the presence of the true performer his opulent baritone voice caught the undulations of the opening song, The Vagabond, with a richness and articulation that touched the soul of England. One could picture the artist, the singer, the traveller,  tramping along the open road (one recalls Richard Jefferies’ writings and Edward Thomas’s 1906 volume, The South Country), in a purposeful peregrination captured by Tom’s superlative voice. The next song Bright is the Ring of Words – again astutely arranged by Will Bersey – offers the consolation of an artistic legacy in this transient world. A former Head Chorister, Tom sang with complete confidence and, greeted with flowers and a kiss from Rowan Jones, surrounded nearby by his family (mother Sue on bassoon, sister Rosie on violin, and father Andrew, a Cathedral singer himself, in the audience), you felt fittingly he was on home ground – a vagabond back where he learned his craft. Thank you Lowens – and thank you Tom for your contribution to the legacy of St Edmund’s music!

Before the Interval, the theme of Englishness was beautifully extended as we had time to enjoy Arnold’s English Dances. We listened to the first set of four melodies: the Andantino and the Vivace both used the ‘bell tones’ associated with the bucolic village idyll – while, for me, the Mesto caught the haunting melancholy of twilit old churches and the Allegro Risoluto the rural richness of Samuel Palmer’s paintings of local Kentish landscapes. Indefinable - but sensed all the same.

We re-gathered for the finale, Poulenc’s Gloria with the choirs in place, the accomplished Chapel Choir enhanced by the Cathedral Choristers (prepared by David Flood, David Newsholme, Andrew Wyatt) and the Choral Society, and finally by soloist soprano Tamsin Coombs, whose performances for the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and Ballet Rambert underlined her national renown. The first movement was full of the declamatory power of the brass section as well as incantatory mystery - a true phalanx of sound.  The strange second movement then introduced a lighter touch of as if solemn proceedings are about to give way to more Dionysian revels. 

The mix of sacred sound and jazzy bursts of pagan tunefulness gave an uncanny feeling – and as Tamsin Coombs began the third movement in superb soprano voice there was the drama of ritual centred on one extraordinary presence, a high priestess invoking numinous powers. The fourth movement began with jocund waves of sound like a communal dance before the woodwinds recreated the mysterious and arcane with the haunting voice of the soloist breaking in once again, the air of otherworldliness secured with the closing chord in E flat minor.  The soloist then vied with the orchestra in the opening to the final movement Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris as the sound soared aloft, entwining the pillars and carrying us beyond ourselves into another space and time. The medieval abbeys of France seemed transposed into Canterbury, as ecumenically as the French stone that cocooned us in this greatest of English buildings. The soloist was echoed beautifully by the chorus as the piece moved to its sublime coda and Tamsin breathed the susurrating intonation of the final ‘Amen’. It was a piece that had presented a strange beauty - the mysterious world of a pre-Christian age side by side with Catholic piety.

The Choirs and orchestra had risen emphatically to the demands of Poulenc’s great music, led by some remarkable individuals. The accomplished string players from the English Chamber Orchestra with Jeremy Issac (violin 1), Mina Chivite (violin 2), Fiona Griffith (viola) and Kath Jenkinson (‘cello) inspired the St Edmund’s school musicians to one of their finest performances. Violinist Ana Vandepeer, Kent Young Musician of the Year, and her two fellow finalists James Pooley (trumpet) and Magdalena Worm (‘cello) were stars amongst many other outstanding performers. As well as the aforementioned leavers Tom Lowen (violin) and Tad Bebb (horn), Oscar Jackson, in his final Gala Concert, once again coolly delivered on percussion alongside an outstanding team.  That air of expectancy had been vindicated. This was a triumph of organization for a fine department, (Messrs Payne, Underwood and Swatman with help from Mr Julian Lambert and George Inscoe) ably welded together by the Director of Music himself.  Above all, it was a triumph for the transformative, mysterious power of music. It was a privilege to be so entranced.

Jacob Barnes CDs

in support of the Jacob Barnes Scholarship

Nearly a year after the death of Jacob, whose life and musical career were tragically cut short by cancer, his family have released three beautiful recordings for sale, in aid of a scholarship in his name at the Royal Academy of Music.

Jacob's father writes:

Jacob was diagnosed with Leukaemia at the end of his first year at RAM. For eighteen months through debilitating chemotherapy, stem cell transplant and almost every possible pain and complication he continued his musical life. After each setback his first thought was to return to the piano and call his friends to make music with him. Jake was not just sustained by collaborative music-making but through unimaginable horrors found the courage and enthusiasm to develop a generous and deeply insightful style. In sickness as in health and in performance and rehearsal alike, his own creativity unlocked the creativity of others. His ability to discover the wordless and spiritual depths of a piece made others find it too. He played his last concert with five friends, just a week before he died. Communication, enlightenment, joy, relationship and generosity of spirit characterised Jacob and his music – we think he would have loved to know that such values were still being nurtured under his name.

The CDs are available for a suggested minimum donation of £5, but please give more for this cause if you can. For further details and to request copies, please contact Ben Barnes by email: bjbarnes77@googlemail.com

What Sweeter Music

A feast of Music and Desserts

Saturday 4th February 2012, 7.30pm. School Chapel

Unless weather conditions deteriorate sooner than forecast, this evening's concert will still go ahead as planned. However, the musical items will now come together at the start of the programme (reduced, with no interval), and puddings served at the end, allowing families to make their way home before any snow arrives, should they wish to.

Choral Society - a great start!

To all who joined us last night for the Choral Society's first rehearsal, thank you.

I was delighted with the start we made and feel very excited about the season in store.

As promised here is a link to the Spotify playlist:

GALA 2012

For those new to Spotify, the link will take you either to your previously installed Spotify software, or to a link to the (free) software. Thereafter, the link will take you straight to the Poulenc!

The ChorusLine products I mentioned last night, which help you learn your part between rehearsals can be found here. Do make sure that you select your correct part in the choir, i.e. Soprano, Alto, Tenor or Bass.

I look forward to seeing you all again next week. I am still happy to welcome new singers if you have friends who might like to take part. The more the merrier!

WMB

Happy New Year!

A warm welcome back after Christmas!

I hope that all of our pupils and families were able to have a good and restful Christmas and feel fully recharged for the term ahead. Last term seemed longer and busier than ever and, after the hectic schedule of A Chorus Line, narrowly preceded by the Michaelmas Concert and quickly followed by the Carol Service, we look forward to a more measured period of rehearsal as we prepare for this term's concerts. For highlights of many of last term's performances, please check our recordings page.

Our focus at this stage is with the Choirs and Chamber Groups, who will be performing in What Sweeter Music, our annual feast of music and desserts, served up in the school chapel and dining hall respectively on Saturday 4th February at 7.30pm. Just 2 weeks later, the Chamber Choir will also be singing Evensong in Canterbury Cathedral, on Friday 17th February, at 5.30pm. I very much hope you will be able to support either or both of these events.

Later in the term, arguably our musical highlight of the year follows in the form of the Gala Concert in the Cathedral, on Thursday 17th March. This year sees the Symphony Orchestra tackle an ambitious programme including Brahms' Academic Festival Overture and Arnold's English Dances, while the Choral Society join forces with the Chapel Choir, Cathedral Choristers and Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Poulenc's Gloria. For this work we are joined by Tamsin Coombs (soprano) and guest players from the English Chamber Orchestra. Tickets are already on sale from the school office and there is still the opportunity to perform as a member of the Choral Society - please email music@stedmunds.org.uk for details.

Alongside our usual selection of informal lunchtime recitals, details of which can be found on the school website or latest edition of Counterpoint (see below), we also look forward to welcoming back the Concert and Big Bands from the University fo Kent, as they join forces with our own Big Band in Big Bands Cubed, on Wednesday 28th March. Tickets are on sale at £5, in aid of the Jacob Barnes Scholarship Trust.

Details of all of our events this term may be found in Counterpoint, our eNewsletter, published by email. To see the current edition and subscribe to further editions, please click here.

I look forward to seeing many of you over the course of the term.

WMB

English Chamber Orchestra coaching for the St Edmund's Symphony Orchestra.

Our excellent friendship with the English Chamber Orchestra remains something we're very proud of and grateful for. Last Friday, as members of the Junior School were battling it out in the Junior House Song Competition, members of our senior orchestra, the St Edmund's Symphony Orchestra, were enjoying three hours with Jeremy Isaac (violin), Kate Robinson (violin) and John Thurgood (horn), all members of the English Chamber Orchestra, joining us for an afternoon of coaching.
Since our orchestra began inviting payers from the wider community, it has grown significantly, now numbering over sixty players. The string section lies at the heart of any orchestra, and our large section benefited enormously from Jeremy and Kate. The second violins, in particular, were put through their paces as the tackled the Fugue from William Walton's Spitfire Prelude and Fugue, whilst Vaughan William's The Wasps Overture offered the chance to experiment with the extreme colours possible, including the glassy effects of the sul ponticello tremelo passages, and the huge dynamic contrasts necessary to really bring this insect to life.
The opening fanfare of the Walton offers a truly breathtaking moment for the brass section, and John Thurgood, principal horn with the ECO and Canterbury resident, brought great expertise to our section, offering everything from simple rehearsal and 'note-bashing' to top tips on how to tackle the passages that even give the pros something to worry about!
When we brought everyone back together for the final hour the progression was staggering. The orchestra played with a new confidence and authority, making light work of the repertoire and clearly enjoying themselves in the process! The next two weeks bring our final preparations for the Michaelmas Concert, when the Vaughan Williams and Walton will feature in the programme. This promises to be a great concert.
Do join us - tickets are available (without charge) from the school office.

WMB