This has been a particularly fast-paced and exciting year of music for me – from playing countless solos in the smaller platform concerts to performing Rachmaninov ’ s Piano Concerto No 2 in the school ’ s Symphony Orchestra , there was certainly no lack of diversity . But there was one thing which stood out , and that was playing the piano in a trio with James King and Valerie Huang ( both Year 11 ) on clarinet and violin respectively .
Our journey began when we met in Year 9 , and I was completely new to chamber music . The idea of coordinating in such a small group without a conductor was something alien to me , but little did I know just how much I would enjoy it . We started meeting up each week and , under the guidance of Mrs Ashwell , learned Milhaud ’ s Suite for Violin , Clarinet and Piano with the aim of playing in the Pro Corda Festival , an annual chamber music competition which attracts hundreds of ensembles from across the country . That year , we made it to the semi-finals . Taking up chamber music was a step into the unknown for me , but I loved what I discovered .
The following year , we worked on Khachaturian ’ s Trio , and that was when I felt the group really began to click as we understood each other ’ s performing styles better . We made it to the finals that time , and it was exhilarating . But it is this year that I will remember the most . The piece that we were faced with was more challenging than anything that we had done before . L ’ Histoire du Soldat ( The Soldier ’ s Tale ) is a five-movement work written by Igor Stravinsky in 1918 for the theatrical work of the same name . The story follows a soldier returning from war who encounters the devil while playing a fiddle . In return for a book that tells the future , the soldier trades his fiddle . He goes on to live a lavish lifestyle , married to a princess , but the devil claims his life in the end .
The music is often fast and articulate , with any slip-up in the more difficult passages likely to result in the parts going out of sync . The three of us arranged after-school rehearsals and entered the semi-finals , alongside 15 other Sevenoaks groups from under 12 to under 19 , with determination ( and a much-needed sugar rush from some Fizzy Fangs ), playing the best we had ever played together . Disappointing news came a month later – we had made it into the finals , but they had to be cancelled just days before as a result of school closures . However , in the end , it didn ’ t really matter ; it was our path to that point that counted the most .
We would all like to say a massive thank you to Mrs Ashwell ; without all her support and the encouragement from the entire Music department , this journey would not have been possible . If I could take one thing away from this whole experience , it ’ s how amazing the power of music is to bring us all together .
Malek Marar , Year 11
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