Posted: Tuesday 13 December 2011
Choral and Orchestral Concert
A capacity audience of parents, staff and Governors attended an ambitious Choral & Orchestral concert by the senior school orchestras and choirs on Thursday 12 December in the Fotheringay Auditorium.
It was a programme designed to tax the talented young musicians. The Senior Choir, Baroque Ensemble and soloists gave a stylish performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria; the Sinfonia confidently tackled Beethoven’s Symphony No 1 (1st movt) and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet; the large Intermediate Choir performed three delightful Christmas settings; while the Intermediate Orchestra opened the evening with a Haydn orchestral suite.
In the midst of all this, the string chamber ensemble - Kelly Macinnes S2 (violin), Sarah Shu S2 (violin), Anna Heywood S3 (violin) and Hebba Benyaghla (cello) – gave a haunting account of Purcell’s Chaconne, a repeat of the performance they gave in November in St Andrews Cathedral as part of the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice Remembrance Service.
Those who attended were unanimous in their praise, particularly of the tough challenges presented by the choice of music.
Ken Walton, Director of Music Performance, expressed his admiration of the tenacity shown by the pupils in meeting those challenges, and to all staff - performers and helpers - who helped make the evening the success it was, by saying:
Pupils at Hutchie have a habit of rising to the occasion, especially when you present them with aspirational music.
The next school concert is on Thursday 2 February at 7.30pm, in the Fotheringay Auditorium, and will be a lighter programme featuring the Wind and Jazz Bands.