MUSIC//
again providing beautiful counterpoint to the tenor melody.
The Libera Me captured the dramatic intensity of the Dies
Irae text with horns and trombones creating the cacophony
of the day of wrath, vividly contrasted by the personal prayer,
wonderfully sung with restrained power. The blissful In
Paradisum was a divine consummation of the piece, sopranos
accompanied by rippling harp and organ in angelic beauty.
The conductor, Mr Kettlewell controlled the sound with
chorus and orchestra mirroring one another. The strings were
a particular delight, rhapsodising beautifully around the Lux
Aeterna , and shimmering so convincingly in In Paradisum that
one could imagine this were a professional orchestra. Iona
Kaye (OP) sang the Pie Jesu beautifully, and baritone Sam
Hird (OP) had a velvet-smooth tone to his lines in both the
Hostias and Libera Me .
Having enjoyed some delicate respite, the final work of the
evening, Parry’s Blest pair of Sirens , was utterly thrilling and
uplifting. This very fine piece has become, deservedly, a
staple of the choral society repertoire; it’s a magnificent
work to hear and even more thrilling to sing. Tonight, Mr
Kettlewell established good forward momentum right from
the start and the chorus offered assured, firm-toned singing,
achieving clarity in the part writing. As the climax of the work
approached, the sopranos and then the tenors delivered the
wonderful melody at ‘O may we soon again renew that song’
with warmth and richness. The extended passage that follows
soon after (‘To live with him and sing in endless morn of light’)
is one of the most memorable in English choral music. The
eight-part choral counterpoint is technically superb but Parry’s
genius is to make the listener completely unaware of technical
matters by building the passage impressively and inexorably to
a marvelously fulfilling climax. The chorus did this passage full
justice with the final chord resounding majestically throughout
the church.
This was a performance that will last long in the memory of
those involved.
“The strings were a particular delight,
rhapsodising beautifully around the
Lux Aeterna, and shimmering so
convincingly in In Paradisum that
one could imagine this were a
professional orchestra...”
JUNIOR
ORCHESTRA
Junior Orchestra has been growing
steadily this year. Still a smallish band
of Lower School students, there is
now a more confident swagger to the
enthusiastic noises made by the group.
We got the Autumn Concert jumpin’
with Bill Haley’s Rock Around The Clock
to open the show. In the Lent term we
chose some film themes - The Good,
The Bad And The Ugly and James Bond .
Finally, in the summer, we headed for
the Land of Oz with Somewhere Over The
Rainbow and We Are The Champions .
our youngest musicians with the
opportunity to play in a less daunting
setting. This has benefited a number
of our players over the year who have
found the confidence to step up to the
senior ensembles in the school.
Tom Taylor
The ensemble continues to provide
THE POCKLINGTONIAN
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