Lunchtime Concert – Solo and Chamber Music for Strings

This week’s concert in our weekly lunchtime recital series was given by a selection of the School’s string players. With performances of chamber and solo repertoire from the Baroque and Romantic eras, the concert was a real treat for the audience.

Form 4 student Millie was joined by Head of Strings, Mrs Emily Holland, for the final movement of JS Bach’s popular Double Violin Concerto in D minor, accompanied by Head of Piano, Ms Anne Bolt. The movement was an elegant start to the concert, with a real sense of dialogue between the two solo lines, as well as a great showcase of virtuosic playing!

Form 6 ‘cellist Ethan performed the second and third movements from Antonio Vivaldi’s Cello Concerto in G minor, RV 417. The second movement, Andante, was warm, with gentle ornamentation embellishing the long lyrical lines. The final movement of the concerto was a fiery Allegro with technical passagework, performed with fluency and idiomatic phrasing.

The final piece in the concert was the opening movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s first string quartet, performed by students Maya, Evie, Elsa and Ethan. The quartet really brought across the enjoyment of chamber music for the performer and listener alike; their performance showed fine-tuned musicianship, with a great sense of balance and ensemble, framing both the warmth and drama of Mendelssohn’s music. Congratulations to all five students involved today for their polished performances! We look forward to next week’s concert, given by current Form 3 music award holders.