GALA CONCERT CARMINA BURANA
West Road Concert Hall
Cambridge 6.30pm
Sunday 23 March
George Marshall saxophone
Maya Mbogo violin
Evie Holder soprano
Harry Jacques tenor
Alex Bower-Brown baritone
Alfred Reed Ballade
Samuel Barber Allegro molto moderato (Violin Concerto)
Ludwig van Beethoven Egmont Overture, op.84
Carl Orff Carmina Burana
Welcome from the Headmaster
Thank you for being with us this evening at Oakham School’s annual Gala Concert. It is a privilege and a pleasure to be back at Cambridge’s West Road Concert Hall for one of the highlights of the school year, showcasing the hard work and ability of our pupils.
We look forward to a wonderful selection of music, spotlighting some of our leading Form 6 & 7 musicians, and bringing together our wider Oakham Community in tonight’s performance of Carmina Burana Before that grand finale of song, we will enjoy the School’s Concert Band and Symphony Orchestra, with contrasting programmes featuring English folk music arrangements by Ernest Tomlinson and the lyrical saxophone writing of Alfred Reed. Our Symphony Orchestra are proud to present Beethoven’s iconic ‘Egmont’ overture, followed by a movement of one of the great 20th century violin concertos by Samuel Barber.
Carl Orff’s masterwork Carmina Burana occupies the second half of our concert, in a performance which combines the youngest and oldest members of our school with Oakham Choral Society. Our soloists also have an Oakham connection, with a former pupil, a former teacher and a leaving pupil performing the Baritone, Tenor and Soprano solos respectively.
I would especially like to express my enormous gratitude to the Director of Music, John Mountford, and his talented and committed music staff who have all had a part in the preparations for today’s concert.
Thank you again for your support tonight and throughout the year. I wish you a most enjoyable concert.
Henry Price Headmaster
PROGRAMME
Pleasenotethatpersonalrecordingorphotographyisnotpermittedduring theconcert.
CONCERTBAND
SteveFosterconductor
SuiteofEnglishFolkDances ErnestTomlinson(1924-2015)
iii. Dick’sMaggot
iv. HunttheSquirrel
v. Nonesuch
In 1951 Ernest Tomlinson, at the invitation of his sister Freda, attended a FestivalofDanceandSongpresentedbytheEnglishFolkDanceandSong Society. He was so captivated by the tunes danced to, that he resolved to write an orchestral suite based on some of them. The suite was published in 1954. The composer's arrangement for wind band follows closely the textures and colour contrasts of the orchestral original. The Suite, which is dedicatedtohissister,isinsixmovementsandthiseveningweareplaying three of them. All the folk tunes are from John Playford's The English DancingMasterwhichwaspublishedin1651.
Ballade AlfredReed(1921-2005) GeorgeMarshallaltosaxophone
This work is one of a group of three pieces for solo wind instruments and bandcommissionedbytheG.LeBlancCorporationin1955asperformance vehicles for their artist/clinicians. It was written for Vincent J. “Jimmy” Abato,abrilliantvirtuosobothontheclarinetandsaxophone.
Like most ballades, its single main theme, accompanied by two smaller motifs,isdevelopedinacontinuousfashion,affectingmanysubtlechanges ofmoodandcolour,eventhoughalmosteverysinglemeasureisrelatedin a close or distant way. In deference to the French school of saxophone playing, which was taken as a basis for the composition of this piece, the emphasis is on the long lyrical line of brilliant but light colour, while the accompanimentisanalwayschangingharmonicbackgroundofchords.
Shenandoah FrankTicheli(b.1958)
The folk tune, Shenandoah, originated in the 19th Century and has been attributed variously to a coal miner from Pennsylvania, a young student of Stephen Foster (not our Mr Foster), and to a housewife from Kentucky. There are many variations of the melody and lyrics of this tune, but the most popular understanding of the lyrics are about a settler's love for a Native American woman. The arranger, Frank Ticheli uses elements from thefolktune,cleveruseofcolourandcreativeharmonytocreateaflowing piecewhichistrulybeautiful.
SYMPHONYORCHESTRA
JohnMountfordconductor
MayaMbogoviolin
ViolinConcerto,op.14SamuelBarber(1910-1981)
i.AllegroMoltoModerato
Samuel Barber is recognised as one of the most loved composers in the story of American Classical Music. This concerto was commissioned by Samuel Fels (who earnt his fortune making laundry soap) and was supporting the young violinist, Iso Briselli. However, Iso's teacher was unimpressedwiththepieceandBarberneverreceivedfullpayment. Thankfully, the concerto was eventually premiered and is now a well loved work in the violin repertory. This first movement is a portrait of Romantic and cinematic lyricism which twists and turns to an euphoric climax, animated by Barber's use of the familiar 'scotch snap' rhythm of folk traditions. This rhythm continues to be used in the closing section, which bringsanostalgicandwhimsicalfeelingtotheendofthemovement.
EgmontOverture,op.84
LudwigvanBeethoven(1770-1827)
ThisovertureisthefirstinasetofincidentalpieceswhichBeethovenwrote between 1809 and 1810 to accompany the play of the same name by Goethe, written in 1788. The play, heavily influenced by Shakespearean tragedy, focusses on the downfall of a man who trusts in the goodness of those around him. Having become overpowered by the Duke of Alba, Egmont refuses to surrender and the play finishes with his final call to fight for independence: his death as a martyr appears as a victory against oppression.
Interval (15 minutes)
CHAPEL&LOWERSCHOOLCHOIRS
OAKHAMCHORALSOCIETY
JohnMountfordconductor,EvieHoldersoprano,HarryJacquestenor, AlexBower-Brownbaritone
CarminaBurana CarlOrff(1895-1982)
FortunaImperatrixMundi
Fortune,EmpressoftheWorld
I. Primovere
InSpringtime
Ufdemanger
Onthelawn
II. InTaberna
IntheTavern
III Courd'amours
TheCourtofLove
BlanzifloretHelena
FortunaImperatrixMundi
1 O Fortuna
2 Fortune plango vulnera
3 Veris leta facies
4 Omnia sol temperat
5 Ecce gratum
6 Tanz
7 Floret silva nobilis
8 Chramer, gip die varwe mir
9 Reie
10 Were diu werlt alle min
11 Estuans interius
12 Olim lacus colueram
13 Ego sum abbas
14 In taberna quando sumus
15 Amor volat undique
16 Dies, nox et omnia
17 Stetit puella
18 Circa mea pectora
20 Veni, veni, venias
21 In trutina
22 Tempus est iocundum
23 Dulcissime
24 Ave formosissima
25 O Fortuna
Carl Orff composed a number of works for the theatre and concert hall but he is chiefly remembered for his far-reaching contribution to music education -his Orff-Schulwerk, published in 1930, isstill in use today-and forhisdramaticcantata,CarminaBurana,writtenin1936.Orffcamefroma musical family and had a number of songs and other pieces published whilst still in his teens. His style at that time could be described as post Romantic, influenced as it was by Schoenberg and Richard Strauss. His ground-breaking research into the way in which music and movement are instinctively and inextricably linked in young children resulted in a radical changeinhowmusicwastaughtinschoolsthroughoutEuropeandbeyond. He became fascinated with the power of primitive rhythms and simple melodies, which gradually found expression in his own compositions. With CarminaBuranahefinallyturnedhisbackonchromaticismandcomplex
polyphony for a deliberately simplified style, characterised by its rhythmic energy and the repetition of short melodic phrases supported by elemental block harmonies It comes as no surprise to learn that Orff was dismissed by the critics - one called him ‘a rich man’s banjo player’ - but the work immediately appealed to the public and has remained a great favourite ever since.
The text of Carmina Burana is a selection from a large collection of secular poems of the 12th and 13th Centuries, preserved in a manuscript at the Bavarian monastery of Benediktbeuren. The poems are mostly in Latin, the international language of the day, though some are in old French or Middle High German and come from a wide variety of sources. It is somewhat surprising to learn that, apart from some poems that are of a morally uplifting nature, most are bawdy student songs celebrating such unmonastic earthly delights as drinking, gambling, dancing and lovemaking.
Orff described Carmina Burana as a ‘scenic cantata’. It uses a very large orchestra in its original form and was originally designed for the stage, with dancing and mime accompanying the music. It was first performed at the Frankfurt Opera House. The work begins and ends with a powerful hymn to the goddess Fortuna, the Empress of the World, seen as a monstrous whirling wheel carrying its victims first to the heights, then dashing them to the ground. In between come three main sections. The first is a depiction of Spring, Primo Vere, illustrated by rustic songs and dances The second is set in a tavern, vividly described by a succession of characters including the swan on the spit (tenor solo), who laments his dreadful fate. Part III, The Court of Love, is an uninhibited celebration of the delights of love. The penultimate number, Blanziflor and Helena, leads back to the opening hymn, thereby not only unifying the whole work, but also acting as a pertinent reminder that our lives are ever subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous Fortune.
John Bawden
BIOGRAPHIES
George Marshall saxophone is in his 7th year as a Music Scholar at Oakham School, having joined at the age of 10. He recently achieved Grade 8 ABRSM with distinction and is accomplished on the tenor, soprano and alto saxophone. George plays an active role within the School's Music Department, frequently appearing as a soloist in the School's Wednesday lunchtime recital series held at All Saints' Church, Oakham. He has been a member of Oakham School Concert Band and Big Band for the last 6 years, and regularly features as a soloist in both. He studies saxophone with Alistair Parnell and has a keen interest in Jazz music. George has further developed his proficiency and sound through attending extra-curricular music summer schools including 4 years at Wells Cathedral School International Jazz week and 2 years as a member of the National Youth Jazz Collective. He is planning on studying economics and hopes to continue to play music at university.
Maya Mbogo violin has been playing the violin since the age of six and is a Music Scholar in her final year at Oakham School, which she has attended since the First Form. Studying under Emily Holland, she has enjoyed being part of both the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, performing in numerous concerts and ensembles throughout her time at Oakham. She also plays the piano and is currently working towards her Grade 8. Recently, Maya has enjoyed performing in solo lunchtime recitals, with some of her favourite repertoire including From My Homeland by Bedřich Smetana and Allegro non troppo from Sonata in E minor, Op. 82 by Edward Elgar. She has also loved taking part in the school's music tours to Spain and Germany, which have been a highlight of her musical journey. Beyond music, she enjoys playing netball competitively. She will be going on to study Economics at university while continuing to pursue her music alongside her studies.
Evie Holder soprano joined Oakham School in the First Form as a Music Scholar and is now enjoying her final year. Music has always been a central part of her life; she has been singing since she was 7, and also plays the violin and piano. She studies singing with Elise Fairley and has participated in the School’s choirs for many years; she hopes to continue this passion well into the future. Her biggest achievements include winning Nottingham Young Singer of the Year 2023, as well as performing as a soloist alongside professionals with Oakham and Rutland Choral Societies. Last summer, she sang at Southwell Music Festival and at the King’s Official Birthday Celebration at Southwell Minster following an invitation from the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. She enjoys sailing on Rutland Water in her spare time, as well as taking a keen interest in languages - she is going to study French at university.
Harry Jacques tenor originally studied music at Bristol University as an organist, where he also sang in choirs. Whilst holding organ-playing positions, Harry also qualified as a secondary school teacher, becoming Organist and Teacher of Music at Oakham School, where he accompanied the school’s choirs and conducted Oakham Choral Society. His choral experience developed through singing with cathedral choirs and as a VOCES8 Scholar. After beginning studies with tenor John Graham-Hall, Harry’s first experience of opera came as a Young Artist at Waterperry Opera Festival, performing a staged version of Britten’s Abraham and Isaac and singing in the chorus for Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
In recent years, Harry has built considerable experience with oratorio singing, including Bach’s Magnificat, Mass in B minor, St John Passion (Evangelist and soloist), Handel Messiah, Haydn The Creation and Stainer Crucifixion, some of these having been supported by the Josephine Baker Trust. Harry is also in demand as a choral tenor, having performed and recorded with London Choral Sinfonia, Gabrieli Consort and Stephen Layton’s Polyphony in the past year.
Thanks to the generous support of the D’Oyle Carte Charitable Trust and the Edith Vogel Bursary, Harry began studying a master’s degree in vocal studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in September 2022, studying with Adrian Thompson and John Evans. Harry enjoyed understudying the rôle of Nemorino singing with Wild Arts under the direction of Orlando Jopling in Summer 2023. Recent solo engagements have included: performing opera scenes (Don José, Fritz, Lindoro, Eisenstein) at Guildhall, taking part in a Finzi song project with Iain Burnside, Amy Beach The Canticle of the Sun with David Hill and The Bach Choir at the Royal Festival Hall, and performances of Handel Messiah at Lincoln Cathedral and for Wild Arts in November and December 2023. In 2024 Harry sang in Glyndebourne Chorus for the summer festival productions of Die Zauberflöte, The Merry Widow, Carmen and Tristan und Isolde, culminating in a performance of Carmen at the BBC Proms.
In Autumn 2024, Harry began studying on the opera course at GSMD, supported by The Worshipful Company of Grocers. So far, he has performed scenes as Leicester in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, Mayor Upfold in Britten’s Albert Herring and Romeo in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette, and recently as Essex in Britten’s Gloriana, Soldato Primo in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Le Chevalier in Poulenc’s Dialogue des Carmélites.
Alex Bower-Brown baritone is a British baritone, currently studying in the opera school at the Royal Academy of Music with the professors Glenville Hargreaves and Iain Ledingham. Alex is gratefully supported by the Norman Ayrton award. Whilst at the Academy, Alex has been a regular performer in the Royal Academy Bach consort, performing with some of the best conductors of our age including Philppe Herreweghe, John Butt and Jane Glover. A highlight of the series was singing Pilate in a production of Bach’s great work, St John’s Passion, conducted by Philppe Herreweghe. Alex has also sung in various masterclasses whilst at the Academy, the most recent of which was singing for Thomas Quasthoff at Wigmore Hall. Opera roles include Father in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Tobias Mill in Rossini’s La Cambiale di matrimonio, Mr Gedge (Vicar) in Britten’s Albert Herring, Die Sprecher in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Alexander in Martinu’s Alexandre Bis.
Outside of the Academy, Alex has a wealth of experience singing both as an oratorio soloist and in professional choirs. He has performed as a soloist in a wide variety of works including Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Brahms’ Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, Rossini’s Petite Messe Sollonelle and Alec Roth’s A Time to Dance Alex has made his solo debuts at some of London’s most illustrious venues including Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall and St John’s Smith Square.
PERFORMERS
CONCERTBAND
Flute
Clarinet
Oboe
Saxophone
Trumpet
Horn Trombone
Piano BassGuitar
Percussion
ClaraAltermann,ShonaliBanerjee,IbtiAlSayigh,EmmaBreag, PollyMachin,MarniLennard,AggyYafai
HarryKinnear,SamuelTopaly,JacobLittlewood,JasonHe, HenryBotham,EmiliaBond,ElodieWarke,GillHenshaw
AlvinaKwok
GeorgeMarshall,IsabellaKluger,HesterMilne,SamanthaRead, ClaraMorgan,PrinceBharaj,EmilyKinnear
GraceHornsby,MontyPrice,IonaSimpson,LizzieWyer, AndyHolman
JoshuaLai,MontyMcGill OttóStone,HarrySutterby,ArloMarron
CasonKang DavidGraham RyanHou
SYMPHONYORCHESTRA
Violin1
Violin2
Viola Cello
DoubleBass
Flute
Clarinet Bassoon
Horn
Trumpet Trombone
Percussion
Piano
MayaMbogo,LizzieWyer,NicolaChotrani,ElsaMarsh, EmmaGant
EvieHolder,EthanChan,SophiaCure,SalomieEpie, RubyDudin,BethMiles
TomasDickinson,AlexaBerkin-Evans,LucyCarr,EmilyHolland IsabelleWhite,EmmaChotrani,AteaYu,GraceLai,LaurenTaylor, TobyWhite
HeatherMcGill,TomMcKenzie
ShonaliBanerjee,PollyMachin,IbtiAlSayigh HarryKinnear,JasonHe,GillHenshaw DantéScott-Horne
JoshuaLai
EddieNicholson,SteveFoster OttóStone
RyanHou RosieJohnson
LOWERSCHOOLCHOIR
GeorgeAspinall,BeatrixBagnall,JulietBell,DanielBiney,LaurenceBluff, EmmaChotrani,LucyDoyle,PrestonEfele,SageFarnham,FreddieFreimuth, MaxGreen,BethGriffiths,CharlieHardwicke,EvaHempsall, MatthewHollingshead, TedHook,MilesHudson,CocoJordan, MandlenkosiKamesa,GeorgeLister,ClemmieLovelace,RaphaelLynn-Brown, MontyMcGill,AlovaNablu,BrookeParker,PhiaPhillips,MontyPrice, AnnabelleRobinson,SafiRoss,CharlotteSampson,BellaSteiger,AvaStephens, IsobelStyles,TheoSwann,LaurieTreadwell,EdieWilliams,JemimaWilson, AggyYafai,AliceYafai
CHAPEL CHOIR
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
ElizabethBagnall,EloiseBaines,ShonaliBanerjee,EmiliaBond, EvelynBrammer,PenelopeBrammer,EmmaBreag,LottieBrown, LucyCarr,BeaCole,SophiaCure,LillieDrennan,SerafinaGriffin, EvieHolder,TillyHowarth-Hale,ImogenHarrison,RosieJohnson, MadelaineKluger,CocoLynn-Brown,XantheLynn-Brown, PoppyLovelace,EvieMarsh,OliviaMelville,ElsaMilne,LaraPilbeam, EloiseSnape,MollySutterby,IsabelleWhite,LizzieWyer
AltoIbtiAlSayigh,AlexaBerkin-Evans,MadeleineCartwright, SophieCartwright,JessicaDay,IsabellaEl-Sheikh, PaulineFrancois-Herbert,GraceHornsby,IsabelHurst,IsabellaKluger, GraceLai,NatalieLeung,ElsaMarsh,EstherMorse,MollyPlummer, HollyProthero,FfionReading,ChloeShaw,ElodieShenton, PhebeSmith, HalldisStone,ElodieWarke,JessicaWarke
PrinceBharaj,EthanChan,AlexForshaw,WilliamGriffiths, WilliamHallam,TobyJames,JacobLittlewood,FinlayMitchell, GeorgePepper,CharliePiper,WilliamCollison,EwanStockwell
JonathanAyre,TomasDickinson,HarryKinnear,JoshuaLai, AlexMorrison,EddieNicholson,OttóStone,JamesRobinson, OliverSmith
OAKHAM CHORAL SOCIETY
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
JackieBennett,JanetBerridge,JudyBlakeborough,YounHeeChoi, TaraDavies,EllieDickinson,MariaFryday,JennyHedley, PhillipaGallimore,SusanGorman,MariaHickinbotham, BarbaraKay,JenniferMaskell,TracyNeedle,HeatherPain, CharlottePennington,MaryPrice,HilarySmith,JaniceSwanson, StephanieTenneson,LucretiaUrquhart,MargaretWheeler, KittyWigmore
JaneBall,HelenBush,SarahGlynn,YvetteGriffin,AnnetteLear, JaneLucas,TeernaMukhopadhyay,MairO'Kane,DianePark, JennySaville,GillieTyler,RachelWilliams
RobertBatty,JeffDavies,PeterJupp,LeanderUrquhart
BobBatten,ChristopherHeygateGoddard,PeterLawson, StephenWigmore
ENSEMBLE
Piano
Percussion
AnneBolt,CasonKang
RyanHou,PollyMachin,OliverJackson,SamMilton, ChristinaSlominska,AaronTownsend