the Symphon y O rchestra
Never underestimate the power of a common purpose
‘More mist! More mist!’ cried Mr Dyer.
This phrase was often repeated while rehearsing the opening of
Schubert’s Symphony No 8, which formed the core of this year’s
repertoire. I have learnt that it is (apparently) impossible to have too
much of this elusive mist – and that only an enormous amount of
practice will produce this unique atmosphere. The work begins with
a dark, ominous introduction from the celli and bassi that conjures
an image of a bleak landscape gradually emerging from the gloom.
Soon, a sorrowful woodwind melody soars over murmuring strings.
Throughout the symphony, sudden outbursts of anger and subtle
shifts in tonality give a certain unpredictability that truly sets it
apart from the classical symphonies and establishes Schubert’s role
as a Romantic composer. One of the greatest challenges we faced
while preparing this piece was in maintaining the delicate balance
between playing the nuanced contrasts in mood sensitively, and
enjoying every powerful climax to its absolute fullest. The atmosphere was magical – and with a moderate level of
apprehension that helped maintain our focus, we delivered a
dazzling performance.
The second movement, more light-hearted in places, but sometimes
returning to a sombre mood, featured beautiful woodwind solos
by Sachi Gwalani and Darcey Phillips. While counting rests at these
points in rehearsal, many members of the cello section, perhaps
fatigued by the rigours of the student lifestyle, had trouble staying
awake, let alone alert enough to realise it was time to play again.
Luckily, this did not happen in either of the concerts. After the Christmas holidays, the orchestra commenced work
on other pieces that we were to play in the Alan Adler Memorial
Concert: I especially enjoyed learning The Rákóczi March because
it is built on a set of extremely memorable melodies. While visiting
Budapest, Berlioz was encouraged by a local to incorporate popular
tunes into a new composition in order to increase his fame. As a
result, the piece is full of motifs drawn directly from Hungarian folk
music. It was helpful to picture a loose narrative of a battle taking
place to remind us of the relationship between different sections
The first time that we played in front of an audience was for
the Music at Sevenoaks concert during the Michaelmas term.
of the music. As the battle intensifies, a booming bass drum seems
to signal the approach of an army. After a gradual build-up, the
trombones and celli together make a triumphant war cry amidst the
strings’ frantic tremolo, which to me represents the cavalry charging
through a chaotic crowd of fighting. The immense sound produced
by the various drums at this point provides the kind of drama that
makes programmatic music such fun to play!
It has been another fantastic year for the Symphony Orchestra,
with strong leadership from our conductor, and our leader, Mervyn
Tong. But most of all, we must never underestimate the power
of a common purpose in uniting many individuals into one
cohesive ensemble.
Mika Curson, Year 10