Mahler 5 Symphony Orchestra Concert
One of the crown jewels of the end of year celebrations was our Symphony Orchestra concert held in the Cathedral on Thursday night. The orchestra had been hard at work all week under the inspiring guidance of hugely respected professional conductor and champion of conducting education Alice Farnham.
The first half of the concert began with departing Upper Sixth pupil Archie B’s piece ‘The Curlew’ for horn solo, played by Paco L (Upper Sixth) whose sound reverberated evocatively around the Cathedral. Then the Chamber Choir, Choralia, Choristers and Year 7-9 Choir took on Lamentations, a multi-choir work by Old Wellensian, current parent and Hollywood film composer David Buckley (1994). Our departing Head of Vocal and Choral Studies, Christopher Finch, conducted the massed choirs in a fitting tribute to him and his tireless commitment to singing at Wells over decades. Before the interval, all ears were charmed by the characterful and expressive sounds of departing Upper Sixth pupil Elizabeth M’s bassoon, as she gave an exquisite performance of Weber’s Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra. Elizabeth has given so much to the School, musically and otherwise, over her seven years with us and it was terrific to have her in the spotlight here. The main event was Mahler’s monumental Fifth Symphony, epic in length and scale, with 90 Wells pupils collectively taking us through a whole world of emotions from the opening trumpet solo fanfare to the monumental brass chorales of the last movement.
There were too many stand-out solo moments to note, but the performance – on a scale not attempted in recent memory at Wells – left the packed Cathedral audience tingling in the afterglow of the experience. A huge well done to everyone involved, what a way for Music at Wells to see out the academic year!
To find out more about Specialist Music at Wells, click here.
Download the FREE Wells Cathedral School app to easily keep up with the parts of Wells that interest you, interact with our social media feeds, access useful links more! We highly recommend enabling notifications to stay informed about the many wonderful things happening at our School.
Our thanks to Anna Barclay for capturing such a splendid evening.
The first half of the concert began with departing Upper Sixth pupil Archie B’s piece ‘The Curlew’ for horn solo, played by Paco L (Upper Sixth) whose sound reverberated evocatively around the Cathedral. Then the Chamber Choir, Choralia, Choristers and Year 7-9 Choir took on Lamentations, a multi-choir work by Old Wellensian, current parent and Hollywood film composer David Buckley (1994). Our departing Head of Vocal and Choral Studies, Christopher Finch, conducted the massed choirs in a fitting tribute to him and his tireless commitment to singing at Wells over decades. Before the interval, all ears were charmed by the characterful and expressive sounds of departing Upper Sixth pupil Elizabeth M’s bassoon, as she gave an exquisite performance of Weber’s Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra. Elizabeth has given so much to the School, musically and otherwise, over her seven years with us and it was terrific to have her in the spotlight here. The main event was Mahler’s monumental Fifth Symphony, epic in length and scale, with 90 Wells pupils collectively taking us through a whole world of emotions from the opening trumpet solo fanfare to the monumental brass chorales of the last movement.
There were too many stand-out solo moments to note, but the performance – on a scale not attempted in recent memory at Wells – left the packed Cathedral audience tingling in the afterglow of the experience. A huge well done to everyone involved, what a way for Music at Wells to see out the academic year!
To find out more about Specialist Music at Wells, click here.
Download the FREE Wells Cathedral School app to easily keep up with the parts of Wells that interest you, interact with our social media feeds, access useful links more! We highly recommend enabling notifications to stay informed about the many wonderful things happening at our School.
Our thanks to Anna Barclay for capturing such a splendid evening.
