Winter Concerts

Orchestral Concert, 11 December 2008

The school’s Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, String Sinfonietta, Concert Choir and Guitar Ensemble performed an evening concert in Big School on Thursday 11 December. The main item on the programme was the Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of Schubert’s Third Symphony which the pupils played with great enthusiasm, leaving the audience very impressed with the precision and energy of their performance.

The evening began with Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, played in anticipation of the composer’s bicentenary in 2009. The Symphony Orchestra did an excellent job of putting across Mendelssohn’s portrayal of the bleak seascape in his subtle orchestration. The String Sinfonietta (consisting of pupils in Years 7 to 10) played two movements from William Boyce’s Eighth Symphony with skill, showing great promise for the next generation of the Symphony Orchestra’s string section.

Two choruses from Copland’s opera The Tender Land were then performed by the Concert Choir with piano duet accompaniment. The choir performed with great energy and conviction, making a fair go of impersonating toughened Mid-Western farming families! The Guitar Ensemble performed some colourful arrangements of Elizabethan dances.

The Chamber Orchestra completed the line-up with a interpretation of the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings. This work is a challenge for any school ensemble, but the players brought it off with great success, showing the assurance and confidence of a much more experienced group.

Band Concert, 4 December 2008

On Thursday 4 December, the Music Department’s wind, brass and percussion players performed in the school’s annual December Band Concert. The evening featured skilful and artistic interpretations of works ranging from renaissance masterpieces and classical favourites to traditional spirituals and jazz standards. Highgate’s vivacious young musicians brought their incredible talents to the stage in a wide variety of ensembles and chamber groups which were enjoyed immensely by a packed audience of parents, friends and teachers.

The concert started with a bang as the Samba Band entertained the crowd with the intricate rhythms and energetic grooves of Samba Batucada. The Saxophone Choir was second on the programme with Songs for Saxophone and a soulful rendition of Joe Zawinul’s Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. Next, the Highgate Wind Quintet gave an assured and inspired performance of the second movement from Three Sea Shanties by English composer Malcolm Arnold. The Senior Saxophone Quartet followed with Jean Rivier’s Grave et Presto, which dazzled the audience with a technically impressive ending. The newly formed Highgate Brass Ensemble made their debut with an impressive display of music-making as they performed Banchieri’s Fantasia Terza, Handel’s Largo from ‘Xerxes’, and the spiritual Just a Closer Walk. The first half of the concert was brought to a close by the Saxophone Ensemble with a striking interpretation of Albinoni’s Adagio and a brilliant performance of Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre.

After the interval, the Concert Band opened the second half with music from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the lyrical and beautiful ‘Jupiter Choral’ from Gustav Holst’s The Planets and a medley of Modest Mussorgsky’s most famous works including Night on Bare Mountain and Pictures at an Exhibition. The Swing Band was next with Thelonius Monk’s classic jazz ballad, Round Midnight featuring trumpeter Pierre Guenin and a powerful version of Duke Ellington’s Caravan. Highgate’s Symphonic Band had the privilege of closing the concert with three exciting pieces which were played at an astonishingly high level. Good intonation, phrasing and well-balanced ensemble playing were on display throughout each piece and dynamic contrasts were dramatically expressed. The Symphonic Band was joined by the Concert Band for an epic finale of Christmas songs.

Many positive comments were made by both parents and staff after the concert, not only proving that the evening was a success but also suggesting that expectations were surpassed. The dedication and work put in by the pupils was highly evident in every aspect of their performance and all those in attendance were thoroughly entertained. Thanks to all involved!

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