Music News from Cottesmore

09 Mar 2017

A fabulously eclectic musical afternoon was relished by our guests on Saturday at our annual concert. With a theme of ‘World Peace’, the school’s Vorchestra opened the afternoon’s programme with ‘Let It Be’.  Accomplished individual solo performances in the first half included Fursey on clarinet (When Your Hair Is Like The Snow); Isabel on piano (Spanish Dancer); Emily on saxophone (A Slice Of The Action); Robert on cello (Bourree 1 & 2 from JS Bach’s Cello Suite no. 3) and Katherine on harp (Rouet).  These contemplative pieces were interspersed with some glorious group songs, including ‘Peace Train’ (Forms 1 & 2) and ‘One Love’ (Forms 3 and 4). The first half drew to a close with the Kemble Choir’s beautiful rendition of ‘Reach Out and Touch’.

There were more superb solo instrumentals to follow, from Ju-Eun on piano (Chopin’s ‘Nocturne’) and Alan on guitar (Karuli’s ‘Rondo’). Abigail and Poppy lent their voices to a beautiful rendition of Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ and The MorGans ‘High Hopes’ also won deserved applause. The Form songs concluded with ‘Where Is The Love’ (Forms 5 & 6), before the Chamber orchestra’s superb performance of the Allegro from Handel’s Sonata in F.

There were two terrific contributions from our chapel choir, ‘What The World Needs Now’ and Leonard Cohen’s highly-charged ‘Hallelujah’.  Finally, the entire school took to the stage to raise the roof with ‘We Are The World’, bringing another memorable musical afternoon to a close.