The Wykehamist
The Symphony Concert
The annual Symphony Concert has always been one of the most exciting and impressive musical events the school has to offer— and this year did not disappoint.
On 16 th November, the concert kicked off with the incredible Jazz Orchestra & Choir performing their energy-filled set under TJB, including a wide range of numbers from oldtimey swing to modern fusion, such as Low Country Shuffle, I Wanna Be Like You, and Engine Number 9. VMT Paul Stiles had helped the Orchestra with their improvised solos, infusing a distinct element of bebop alongside the standard blues licks. The likes of Eskander Dean( Coll:, 2025-) and Oliver Jing( Coll:, 2022-) brought the house down with their spectacular solos, the latter having only switched from playing Tenor I to Piano earlier that week. It was a spectacular success, and left the audience cheering and whooping, proving once again that TJB’ s jazz never
Astor Piazzolla( 1921-1992) with his bandoneon, 1971 misses.
Chamber Orchestra followed with Astor Piazzolla’ s Tango Ballet, written in 1956. Piazzolla was the leading figure in Nuevo Tango, a modern evolution of traditional tango music and dance. He was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, but spent most of his life abroad in New York and Paris, where he studied under Nadia Boulanger. Piazzolla wrote his Tango Ballet for the Octeto Buenos Aires in 1955, and it is a programmatic suite originally for string quartet. It contains six‘ scenes’: Titulos – La calle – Encuentro – Olvido – Cabaret – Soledad – La calle. This incredible work evokes the essence of tango’ s traditional ethos with a shockingly modern twist. The attention to detail and passion with which Chamber Orchestra played, in no small part thanks to RLB’ s conducting, truly made a dazzlingly vibrant performance, perfectly embodying the Tango genre.
Finally, Symphony Orchestra wrapped up with one of the most beloved works in the symphonic repertoire: Antonín Dvořák’ s Symphony No. 9, From the New World— a youth orchestra favourite but no less an ambitious choice, given that it lasts for nearly an hour. Once again under the assured baton of TJB, the Orchestra delivered an exceptional performance, led with confidence and poise by concertmaster Henry Morris-Weston( E, 2021-).
Few works have achieved the iconic status of the New World Symphony, a legendary war-horse masterpiece based on Dvořák’ s impressions of American folk music and spirituals. He began work on the symphony in late 1892, completing it in May 1893, and its premiere at Carnegie Hall on 16 December 1893 was met with overwhelming critical and audience acclaim. The symphony is known for its distinct melodies, many of which have been recycled over and over again in pop culture. Almost an entire generation is familiar with Ridley Scott’ s 1973 advert for Hovis Bread, otherwise known as the‘ Boy on a Bike’, the accompanying music
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