Last night, on Thursday 16 November, saw the very first Concordia Recital in the Lower School Hall. These recitals aim to showcase pupils who are excelling in their instrumental studies and provide a platform to perform 2-3 pieces in a more formal concert setting to a specially invited audience. Four pupils from the Lower School performed - Betsy Chuan, Jake Li and Moli Li all on Piano and Max Kotzee on the Violin.
Betsy Chaun began the concert with Jesters Jig, containing intricate fugal patterns which she brought through extremely clearly and with excellent musical phrasing.
The haunting Wind in the Willows by Bernadette Marmion followed, offering a beautiful contrast, and was played with sensitivity and well thought out legato passages exploring the full range of the instrument. She completed her recital programme with In The Groove by Mike Cormick which was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.
Next to play was Jake Li who started his programme with Chopin’s Nocturne in C# minor and from the beginning created the perfect sound required, the opening chords tight without being too heavy, letting the trills flow effortlessly, and creating a beautiful left hand shape.
Jake played with real expression, keeping the melody at the forefront whilst capturing a feeling of sorrow and yearning. He concluded his programme with some dazzling virtuosic fireworks courtesy of Karl Boehms piece Fountain, which showed his technical skill and intricate finger work.
Max Kotzee then performed on Violin, firstly Bach’s Gavotte in Gminor which he demonstrated a good bow stroke giving good clarity of sound in the Hall and a range of subtle dynamics. He concluded his programme with Dvorak’s Humoresque which was played in a charming whimsical style, again good use of bow stroke and articulation.
The final performer was Moli Li, aged 8, who finished the concert programme with a tradition Chinese piece Jasmine Flower and Clementi’s Sonatina Op36 No 1 which she played with a graceful style, enjoying legato scalic runs and Alberti bass accompaniment. She brought a cheerful, bright character to the interpretation and was a lovely piece to end the whole concert.
Head of Music, Mr Vine, said ‘I am delighted that we have started this new series in the Lower School. The standard of musicianship and playing last night was absolutely incredible, and at times I had to really remind myself that some of these young musicians are only 8. I am so proud of their hard work and professionalism in their recital pieces and how they communicated so well with the audience. It was a truly magical evening. Congratulations to Moli, Betsy, Jake and Max!’
