Taylorian

Music and Concerts

Organ Recitals in Aldenham and Bushey 22nd April and 20th May 2023 On Saturday, 22nd April, six organists – including MTS’s Dominic Detre and Aarnav Hastantram – travelled to Aldenham to give an organ recital at the parish church. Dominic Detre opened with a triptych of pieces: two impressive Bach works surrounding the gentle ‘Berceuse’ by Louis Vierne. Mrs Stubbs played two works by English composers, while Mr Hill played three pieces, each with its distinctive charm. Aarnav Hastantram’s four pieces spanned the centuries, from the seventeenth-century Air by Purcell to Martini’s eighteenth-century Verset, as well as two more modern works. The hour-long recital was ended by Mr Tonks, whose graceful performance of Bach’s chorale prelude on ‘O Mensch, bewein dein Suende gross’ was followed by the lively ‘Festival Voluntary’ by Flor Peeters. The MTS organists gave their second recital in St James’ Church, Bushey. Mrs Stubbs played Fugue in D minor by J. S. Bach, followed by a manuals-only piece by the seventeenth-century blind composer, John Stanley. Aarnav Hastantrum played four charming pieces: Verset by Giovanni Battista Martini; Henry Purcell’s Air in D minor; ‘The Word of God’ by Henry Coleman; and Flor Peeters’ Allegro Moderato. Dominic Detre rounded off the concert with J. S. Bach’s Fantasia in G minor and Prelude in E minor, Vierne’s haunting Berceuse, and Max Reger’s chorale prelude on ‘Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren’. Service of Thanksgiving for 90 Years at Sandy Lodge 10th May 2023

The Music Department was an integral part of the School’s service to commemorate 90 years at Sandy Lodge, at which Tim Stubbs (former Second Master) and Jon Gabitass (former Head Master), amongst others, were in attendance. We were delighted to welcome back Richard Hobson, former Director of Music, to play the organ during the service, which began with Philip Tomblings’s setting of George Herbert’s words ‘Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life’. Tomblings was Director of Music from 1946 to 1966, and as such was in post during the previous coronation. The hymn ‘Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones’ featured, having been performed at the opening of Sandy Lodge in 1933, while the verse anthem, Gibbons’s ‘This is the Record of John’, was sung, a reference to the patron saint of the Company, School, and Chapel, St John the Baptist. Trip to the Royal Festival Hall 10th May 2023 Twelve musicians visited the Royal Festival

which centred on the theme of dreams and nightmares. Jennifer Higson’s Blue Cathedral was followed by Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto, a work whose gentle character provoked mixed reviews. Following the interval, we all enjoyed Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. Spring Spectacular 24th April 2023 This year’s Spring Spectacular concert truly lived up to its name. The whole Third form performed Nat King Cole’s ‘Straighten Up and Fly Right’ and Toto’s ‘Africa’, which was sung with great enthusiasm. There were many other highlights: the energy of the Concert Band and the warmth of the Chamber Orchestra were notable. Adam Valabhji performed especially well as accompanying soloist, playing the first movement of Haydn’s Cello concerto in C with a rich, projected tone. As the Head Master noted, the breadth of the concert – from the court of Henry VIII to Lady Gaga – can hardly have been greater. Mr S.J.M. Hill and the Music Department

Hall to enjoy the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s ‘Psychedelia’, a concert

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Taylorian 2023