destroyed by Allied bombs in February 1945.
Last came a truly glorious performance
of Howells’s Te Deum for King’s College,
Cambridge, written in the last year of that
war. Inspired by the vast, stone-canopied
spaces of Henry VI’s great chapel, this is
Anglican church music of a high order,
weaving the traditions of centuries into a
consoling and intensely moving whole.
compelling performance of the harmonically
adventurous chorale prelude on ‘O Mensch,
bewein’ from Bach’s Orgelbüchlein. The
Austrian composer Bruckner’s dramatic 1884
motet Christus factus est explored a post-
Wagnerian harmonic world in which the
choir took us to the remotest keys and back.
Next up were the Quiristers alone, in an
engaging performance of Stanford’s lovely
Song of Freedom. The boys’ airy treble voices
were ideally suited to this serene Edwardian
setting of Psalm 126. The full choir returned
for Steal Away and Deep River, Tippett’s own
later arrangements of two of the chorale-like
spirituals from his oratorio A Child of Our
Time, which he began as Britain declared
war on Nazi Germany in September 1939.
Their dense textures and ingenious scoring
allowed the choir’s wide range of sonorities
to shine. Given Tippett’s pacifism, it was
poignant to reflect that we would hear these
works next in a German city that was utterly
It is perhaps worth considering that
when Henry VI was building in the
Fens, Winchester College was already
approaching its centenary. There can be
no doubt that members of today’s choral
foundation are among Wykeham’s finest
ambassadors. If the evening’s music-making
was anything to go by, the good citizens of
Dresden and Leipzig are in for a treat.
Peter Sawbridge
Q Parent (yr 6)
Quirister Instrumental Concert
Sunday 5 March 2017
An excellent concert was opened with a
virtuosic performance of Chopin’s Nocturne
in C minor, Op. Posthum. from Thomas
Sharrock on piano. Many musical pieces
followed, including Arush Panwalker’s
lyrical piano performance of Handel’s
Impertinence – his first experience of a Q
concert. Max Bassett performed his own
brilliant composition, and the concert also
ended with another world premiere! In
honour of the four Year 8s’ continuing
service to the choir over many years,
Malcolm decided to compose a piece for
them to play. Serenade in Blue, for three
cellos and horn, was beautifully performed,
showing everyone present the musicality
they have contributed to the choir during
their time.
David Edmunson-Jones, Music Gap
The Pilgrims’ School
Quiristers Performing at the Instrumental Concert
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