Music at Lunchtime
Wednesday 22 May 2024, 1.30pm
All Saints’ Church
Joshua Davis horn
Cason Kang piano
Morceau de Concert, op. 94 Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Rondo (Horn Concerto No. 4 in E flat major, K.495) W A Mozart (1756-1791)
Hunter’s Moon Gilbert Vinter (1909-1969)
There will be a retiring collection in aid of Church funds. Please take your programme with you at the end of the recital.
There will be no lunchtime recital next week as the series will take a break for the half-term holiday.
Forthcoming Music at Lunchtime recitals
Wednesday 5 June, 1.30pm Maya Mbogo violin Music by Beethoven & Elgar
Forthcoming Music in Chapel concerts
Tickets from wegottickets.com or 01572 758820
Saturday 25 May, 10.00am Choral Concert Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Form 3 Singers
Thursday 6 June, 7.15pm
Lower School Live in Concert
Lower School ensembles & choirs with selected soloists
Today marks my final lunchtime concert at Oakham School. I have chosen to perform a programme including some of the pieces that I enjoy the most, which will also help prepare me for my ARSM Diploma exam later this term.
I start today’s concert with Saint-Saëns’ Morceau de Concert. It is one of many that he wrote for solo instruments and orchestra which are effectively small-scale concertos. While it still has a three movement structure, there is no break between the movements which are played attacca. The first movement is a set of theme and variations, with the two variations increasing the rhythmic motion. I always enjoy playing the opening theme. The second movement is slower (marked adagio) which requires a lot of technical control. It also features an echo effect using hand-stopping but without any fizzing sound. The final movement is a much faster Allegro non troppo which races to the end, showcasing the soloist with virtuosic scales, flourishes, and arpeggios.
I was very fortunate to be able to play Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 in early March this year with the Orchestra of Restoration in Nottingham. Today, I will be playing the third movement, Rondo (Allegro vivace). This movement is famously known from the Flanders & Swann song, “Ill Wind” in which they set lyrics to the horn melody. I would encourage you to sing along, but I’m afraid my mother would actually sing if I said this! It is a lot of fun to play, and I have enjoyed listening to other horn players’ performances while I have been learning it.
The final piece in my recital is Hunter’s Moon by Gilbert Vinter. Originally written for horn and orchestra, its music contains many hunting figurations. The opening is marked Allegro and ‘with good humour’, and I’ve found it to be quite playful. I have really enjoyed playing this piece as it is quite fast-paced and includes some fun techniques such as hand stopping and glissandi at the end. I hope you enjoy my final lunchtime concert as a pupil at Oakham School
Joshua Davis is a music scholar in Form 7 who studies the horn with Jonathan Harris.
Joshua Davis