Year 8 concert outing - Philharmonia Orchestra at Anvil Arts
30 of our Year 8s ventured out for a superb evening of orchestral music, courtesy of the Philharmonia Orchestra under Thomas Søndergård. We had seats in the choir stalls, only a few metres from the players: the view was good, and the sound was immense
Everyone was struck by the atmosphere of a live concert performance: "It was great to hear an orchestra play in front of you, rather than simply listening to audio." The boys were also impressed by the way in which the players dispatched such difficult music with ease, precision and aplomb. Many also commented on the "incredible singing from the soprano."
An informal survey afterward saw the Wagner awarded 7/10, the Strauss 8/10 and the Tchaikovsky a whopping 9.2: our informal reviewers described it as "full of energy and excitement and drama", "Amazing!", "Vivid", "Dramatic", "Great tunes!"
The infamous jump-scare in the first movement was also much commented upon - including, to the boys' amusement, its effect upon one of their number who was rather jet-lagged... but was brought back to sonic reality in dramatic fashion!
All of our boys engage with music on a daily basis: our concert party included flautists, clarinettists, bassoonists, hornists, violinists, cellists, bassists, pianists, percussionists, and guitarists - and 80% of them also sing in choirs. It was a pleasure to see them so thoroughly engaged and enthused by a professional performance.
They were unanimous in declaring their enthusiasm for future such outings: "Can we do this again soon, please?"
Mr Russell du Plessis
Director of Music
