CHARITY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

King Edward VI School, Chelmsford

14.12.10

Camille Saint-Saens stirring Third Symphony, better known as the theme from “Babe”, was the climax of this year's Charity Concert at KEGS, raising money for the Hamelin Trust.

Not often performed by school orchestras, even more rarely with a schoolboy at the console, but this was a genuinely exciting rendition, with the mighty organ [Alex Palotai] well supported by the orchestral forces under Tim Worrall. Flute, oboe, clarinet and horn all more than merited their applause at the end.

The concert included many more favourites – Grieg's First Peer Gynt Suite, with some excellent work on woodwind, and, from the Chamber Ensemble, directed by Maggie Diffley, Holst's St Paul's Suite, with an impressive string sound and telling contributions from violinist Patrick Calver, who also led the Senior Orchestra.

We also heard, amongst a dozen other works from seven ensembles, Bizet and Boyce from the younger musicians, Grammaticus, a choir of parents directed by Clive Smith, an amazing array of trebles, plus harp, in Britten's Ceremony of Carols, and the ever-popular Wind Band, led by Sarah Woollatt, in Caravan from Sophisticated Ladies, and I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis, with the vocals movingly sung by Eleanor Kiff.

KEGS SUMMMER CONCERT

King Edward VI School Chelmsford

01.07.10

Impressive music-making from KEGS music department under Tim Worrall and Maggie Diffley; especially as so many of those performing were younger musicians.

So the choir sang Karl Jenkin's ubiquitous Adiemus, followed by that 80s power ballad Don't Stop Believin', recently boosted by Glee.

More familiar music from the exuberant wind band – Slumdog, Family Guy, Spanish Flea and a raunchy selection from Chicago.

The Junior String Ensemble gave us the attractively descriptive Carnival Time, with its clumsy, growly Bear on a Chain and its Town Band fading into the distance.

Night music too, with Elgar and Mancini from a very promising String Quartet, whose first violin, Chris Little, also led the Junior Orchestra in some distilled classics. And a sensitive Chopin Nocturne from one of KEGS' star players, Sasha Millwood, making his last appearance at the end of his school career.

There were unmusical distractions, too, on this glorious summer evening – some parents divided their attention between their sons and Wimbledon on the iPhone, and one footballing brass player missed his entrance – as Michael Flanders might have commented : “there was the case, but the Horn itself was missing” …

SPRING CONCERT
King Edward VI School Chelmsford
11.03.10



KEGS Spring Concert effectively showcased the strengths of its music department.
We heard a sizeable choir, directed by Maggie Diffley, in a Handel Coronation anthem, a chamber ensemble in Grieg's Elegiac melodies, including the beautiful Last Spring, a Jamaican Rumba from the juniors. There was even a string quartet giving an impressive performance of the last two movements of Borodin's second quartet, especially effective in the opening of the Nocturne, with the melody weaving back and forth between cello and violin.


But the most memorable performance must be that Everest of the piano repertoire, the Grieg Concerto. Prodigiously talented soloist Sasha Millwood gave a bright, forward interpretation,  though there was a real pensive tenderness in the Adagio, and in the Cadenza in the opening Allegro. I liked the playful prancing in the finale before the thunder rolls back in. He was brilliantly supported by the smallish senior orchestra.


As is the custom these days, he rewarded his audience for their standing ovation with an encore: Lucifer's Banjo, Martin Butler's fiendish study for repeated notes.


And even then, instead of a rest and a rub down, he picked up his fiddle to lead the orchestra in more Borodin, the ever popular Polovtsian Dances, which came to life after a tentative start, and featured some fine solos, notably from the clarinet.


The conductor was KEGS Director of Music Tim Worrall.