William Sevenoke Memorial Concert William Sevenoke
According to local legend, William Sevenoke, the founder of Sevenoaks School, was a foundling, abandoned as a baby in Sevenoaks around 1373 and adopted by Sir William Rumschedde, a local landowner.
Sevenoke grew up to become a successful politician and businessman. He was apprenticed in London to an ironmonger, Henry Bois, becoming a freeman of London in July 1394 and being admitted to the Company of Grocers three years later. William Sevenoke Memorial Concert Between 1404 and 1426, Sevenoke served as Warden of London Bridge, Warden of the Grocers’ Company, Alderman of Bishopsgate Ward, Alderman Monday 25 March 2019 of Tower Ward, Sheriff of London and Middlesex, Pamoja Hall Surveyor of the King’s works at Isleworth and Mayor of London. He gave financial support to Henry V’s second expedition to France and remained an active member of the Grocers' Company for most of his life.
Sevenoke died in July 1432, leaving property in London to the people of Sevenoaks, with instructions that it should provide an income to establish almshouses and a grammar school. Both have served the people of Sevenoaks continuously for nearly 600 years.
Alan Adler
This concert was previously named the Alan Adler Memorial Concert. Conceived in memory of Alan Adler, a past Master of the Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers and Tobacco Blenders, the earliest concerts were funded by the Livery Company and given by professional musicians for the benefit of the pupils. Over time it became a concert given by pupils. From 2019 we have changed the name of the concert in honour of William Sevenoke. Welcome
All of us have childhood memories and I think I can be pretty confident that for nearly everyone, these would include musical memories. Most people remember the music of the charts when they were growing up and they also tend to have incredibly strong recollections of a large amount of the music they took part in at school. Many youngsters take part in high-quality county music groups and holiday courses, being introduced to pieces and ensembles they otherwise might not get the opportunity to experience.
As a young boy, my very small prep school was not able to put out any kind of orchestra, so I attended holiday courses, playing music very much like that performed by the Foundation Orchestra at Sevenoaks School. On one such course, I played a really rather clever junior arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave and what terrific fun that was! The young brass players on that course were amazing, we had a fine body of strings and, probably inspired by the then young James Galway, an even finer body of about a dozen flute players as well as other assorted woodwind. I couldn’t wait to get home and hear Tchaikovsky’s original. So, sporting my recent birthday record tokens, down I went to the local music shop to buy my first LP. Whilst my friends were purchasing the latest ABBA or Slade albums, there was me buying ‘March’ from the wonderful ‘The World of Great Classics’ series.
Pieces of music become like friends. I have certainly known Marche Slave longer than any school or university friend – for over 40 years. This is one of music’s incredible values. A piece of music has roots that go deep within us. It has enormous revival powers; when we are feeling both up and down, it can transport us. Music is there for us unconditionally; the effect of a piece of music on our psyche can be both huge and transformative. The case for affording young people the opportunity to experience live music as both performer and listener as part of their wellness education can never be made too strongly. And yet, across certainly the Western world, this is under-acknowledged – and our charges are the poorer for it.
In the case of my Marche Slave LP, I got not merely one friend, but ten. This was one repeatedly played vinyl record in our family. It is a work that I have used three times during my years at Sevenoaks. I programmed it for my first Alan Adler concert, and also for the gala opening of The Space in 2010. Ordinarily I prefer not to repeat repertoire more than twice, but in the case of this old and trusted friend, I am more than happy to make an exception.
Christopher Dyer Director of Music Programme
Recipes for descant recorder and string orchestra Alan Bullard (b 1947) Birdwatching Michael Henry (b 1983) 1. Coffee and Croissants I Swallows Fleeting 2. Barbecue Blues (when the fire goes out...) II Sparrows Bickering 3. Prawn Paella III Vultures Looming 4. Special Chop Suey Clarinet Quartet: Theo Duke, Sachi Gwalani, Kai Hayashi, James King 5. Fish and Chips Three Negro Spirituals from A Child of Our Time Michael Tippett (1905-98) Soloists: Helena Kiggell, Jess Downton, Amelia Ross, Mika Curson, Alistair Williamson 1. Steal away 2. Nobody knows The Sevenoaks Strings 3. Deep River Conducted by Mr Michael Heighway The Bluebird Charles Villier stanford (1852-1924) I Will John Lennon (1940-80) Paul McCartney (b 1942) The Sennocke Consort Arr Nell Norman (b 1998) Conducted by Mr Michael Heighway
My True Love Hath My Heart (no 2 of Three Birthday Madrigals) John Rutter (b 1945) Interval
The Snow Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers Howard Shore (b 1946) 1st violin: Meg Ishimitsu; 2nd violin: Serena Thomson; Piano: Mr Michael Heighway Arr Douglas E Wagner (b 1952) The Incredibles – Main Theme Michael Giacchino (b 1967) Senior Girls’ Ensemble Arr Johnnie Vinson (b 1944) Conducted by Miss Tegan Eldridge Sounds of Sousa John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) Arr James D Ployhar (1926-2007) Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano Aram Khatchaturian (1903-78) II Allegro Sevenoaks School Wind Band Clarinet: James King Conducted by Mrs Julia Kiggell Violin: Valerie Huang Piano: Malek Marar Marche Slave Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93)
The Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Mr Christopher Dyer Programme notes
Recipes for descant recorder and string orchestra I Will 1. Coffee and Croissants John Lennon and Paul McCartney, arr Nell Norman 2. Barbecue Blues (when the fire goes out...) 3. Prawn Paella This six-part arrangement of Lennon-McCartney’s ‘I Will’ was written last year exclusively for female voices, 4. Special Chop Suey making it a favourite of the Senior Girls’ Ensemble. The original Beatles version was composed while the 5. Fish and Chips group were in India and released on The White Album in 1968.
Alan Bullard My True Love Hath My Heart (no 2 of Three Birthday Madrigals) This is a humorous suite of five pieces depicting five famous dishes from France, America, Spain, China and John Rutter England. Written for the unusual combination of string orchestra and solo recorder, Bullard’s writing evokes the individual dishes with great humour and ingenuity. The legendary jazz pianist George Shearing was John Rutter’s inspiration for Birthday Madrigals. Rutter composed five moments for mixed choir with double bass and optional piano to celebrate Shearing’s 75th birthday. The present three madrigals are upper-voice arrangements of numbers 1, 4 and 5 from the original suite. The second madrigal, ‘My True Love Hath My Heart’, is a moving four-part arrangement with words by Sir Philip Sidney.
The Snow Edward Elgar
‘The Snow’ is an evocative setting of a poem by Alice Elgar, which Elgar set to music in November 1894 for women’s voices. The piece is accompanied by two violins and piano and dedicated to a Malvern friend, Mrs EB Fitton. ‘The Snow’, an andantino, moves between E minor and E major, before reaching an impassioned G major climax and fading away into E major at the end. It is a beautiful setting, epitomising Elgar’s secret way of undermining our emotional defences. Programme notes
Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano; II Allegro Three Negro Spirituals from A Child of Our Time Aram Khachaturian 1. Steal away 2. Nobody knows Aram Khachaturian was a Soviet Armenian composer and conductor and is considered one of the leading 3. Deep river Soviet composers. He was famous for his ballet music, having composed the first Armenian ballet music but also composed extensively for film and orchestras. He only composed two chamber music works, one of Michael Tippett which is this trio while the other is a string quartet. He wrote both these pieces whilst he was still a student A Child of Our Time is a secular oratorio composed at the start of the Second World War. It was inspired at Moscow Conservatory. His music is heavily influenced by traditional folk melodies, which is evident in this by two events that had a profound effect on Tippett: the assassination of a German diplomat by a Jewish second movement of his trio for clarinet, violin and piano. The movement shows elements of folk dances refugee, and the violent retaliation by the Nazi government against Jewish communities, which became throughout with unique rhythms and rich colours. known as Kristallnacht. Tippett used Bach’s Passions as his structural models, and he replaces the chorales with negro spirituals – songs from an oppressed people with universal themes. Birdwatching I Swallows Fleeting The Bluebird II Sparrows Bickering Charles Villiers Stanford III Vultures Looming Stanford was a titan of the British musical landscape at the turn of the 20th century. He was a celebrated Michael Henry composer, teacher and conductor, and at the tender age of 29 he was one of the founding professors of the Born in London of Jamaican parentage, Henry studied composition and clarinet at the Royal College of Music. Royal College of Music. Nowadays he is best known for his choral output, of which The Bluebird is perhaps He has written wind music for a variety of forces, ranging from solo instrument with piano through to full the jewel in the crown. symphonic band, and solo instrument with orchestra. He moved into work as a vocalist and is now also a songwriter.
Tonight we will hear three out of the six movements in this suite. They are both challenging to play and appealing to audiences. The musical material is quite repetitive with each part constantly passing on musical ideas to each other, mimicking birds in conversation. Programme notes
Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers Marche Slave Howard Shore, arr Douglas E Wagner Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Containing ‘Rohan – the King of the Golden Hall’, ‘Forth Eorlingas, The March of the Ents,’ ‘Evenstar’, and Tchaikovsky’s Slavonic March in B flat minor is commonly known under its French name, Marche Slave. In ‘Gollum’s Song’, this medley features some of the best themes from Howard Shore’s ambitious scoring for June 1876, the Balkans were once again at the centre of political conflict. The Turks were keen to add Serbia The Two Towers. The seamless arrangement by internationally recognised composer and arranger Douglas and Montenegro to the Ottoman Empire and there was a universal outcry in the Eastern European states. E Wagner brings these familiar themes to life. The Russians, keen to support their fellow Christian Slavs, sent in troops to assist the Balkan resistance. Tchaikovsky was approached to compose a piece to be performed in a concert to raise money for the The Incredibles – Main Theme wounded Russians. Marche Slave was the product. In a typical blaze of creativity, the piece was finished Michael Giacchino, arr Johnnie Vinson within the week of its commission.
The soundtrack of The Incredibles was Giacchino’s first arrangement for a Pixar movie and he later went Marche Slave is highly programmatic in its conception and structure. In 19th century fashion, the piece on to score other Pixar favourites, Up, Inside Out and Coco. His work for The Incredibles earned him two moves from B flat minor, representing oppression, finally to B flat major, representing triumph. One can Grammy nominations, one for the entire soundtrack and one for this piece in particular. Johnnie Vinson’s almost hear the Russians coming over the hill to defeat the enemy in the penultimate section. Tchaikovsky arrangement highlights the jazzy brass sections, supported by steady clarinet ostinati. fills the piece with what would then have been very well-known Slavonic folk tunes. The main theme, heard at the very start, is the Serbian folk song, ‘Come my dearest, why so sad this morning?’; the Russian Sounds of Sousa national anthem ‘God save the Tsar’ makes two appearances later, as the piece draws to its triumphant John Philip Sousa, arr James D Ployhar close. In between there are other jaunty tunes, some indigenous Slavonic folk tunes and others composed by Tchaikovsky to complement them. Collectively, they make for one of the finest showpieces in the orchestral Known as the ‘March King’ (or the ‘American March King’), John Philip Sousa was an American composer, repertoire and the work finishes with a virtuoso coda for the full orchestra. celebrated for his passionate military marches. These are considered symbols of American patriotism and his magnum opus, ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’, is the official National March of the United States of America. Ployhar, famous for his compositions and arrangements for concert band, starts off this Sousa medley with ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’, followed by other Sousa favourites. Orchestras and Ensembles
The Sevenoaks Strings Senior Girls’ Ensemble The Sennocke Consort Jemima Alston Mitika Agarwal Soprano Tenor Venetia Barker Georgie Andrew Aria Baker Sebastian Coddington Valery Bogdanova Grace Annetts Tasha Dambacher Diego del Ser Erika Chan Tavy Beadle Vita de Munck Ben Hancox-Lachman Marcus Choy Isabel Child Celine Driessen Darcy Lambert Mika Curson Louisa Child Inci Gurun Jess Downton Florence Coumbe Grace Hall Bass Theodore Godfrey Mika Curson Ella McCarthy Ferdinand Beier Alex Hall Tasha Dambacher Mojola Olarinmoye Theodore Godfrey Valerie Huang Vita de Munck Eleanor Petry Andrei Golovanov Megan Lawrence Jess Downton Louisa Phillips Nicholas Leung Nicholas Leung Celine Driessen Tilly Robson Oliver Lewis Ella McCarthy Ellie Gilbert-Bair Rosie Sharpe Jacob Robinson Sofia Melamed Grace Hall Stacy Stepanova Peter Westbrooke Christian Nuijens Daisy Hargreaves Serena Thomson Tom Williams Andrea Olsen Maisie Holland Ellie Wild Amelia Ross Holly Ingram Serena Thomson Meg Ishimitsu Alto Alistair Williamson Meera J Grace Annetts Lily Lander Isabel Child Kajsa Lenz Louisa Child Emily Mahoney Florence Coumbe Caitlin Manchester Jess Downton Eve Mayes Darcey Phillips Mojola Olarinmoye Anna Power Ellie Petry Martha Reeve Darcey Phillips Annabel Stafford Anna Power Amy Thomas Martha Reeve Orissa Welsh Emily Rigney Tilly Robson Rosie Sharpe Annabel Stafford Stacy Stepanova Amy Thomas Serena Thomson Advitha Vasudevan Riya Wadera Meghan Watson Orissa Welsh Orchestras and Ensembles
Sevenoaks School Wind Band The Symphony Orchestra Flute Trumpet 1st Violin Cello Trumpet Lauren Allen Mark Allen Jackson Wen, leader Chiara Calcagnini Ronan Hallinan Isla Bhatnagar Alexander Birt Louisa Child Mika Curson Tom Langford Simi Fagbemi Kitty Lavercombe Marcus Choy Natasha Diederen Kitty Lavercombe Isabella Hall Thomas Layton Ray Hayashi Jess Downton Tom Williams Tess Hargrave George Mylod Valerie Huang Gabriela Horn Montoya Mr Matthew Down Tara Radia Sophie Rayment Meg Ishimitsu Duncan Mills Ava Whitefoord Henry Smith Nicholas Leung Julia Ricketts Trombone Madeleine Whiteley Rose Spurling Alistair Williamson Amelia Ross Zafar Khan-Bourne Sophie Wilkinson Ophelia Warghusen-Usher Carrie Shi Darcy Lambert Mr Matthew Down 2nd Violin Jing Hui Tan Mrs Julia Kiggell Clarinet Mr Tim MacBain Jemima Alston Mr Manuel Capelo Mr Christopher Yelf Kate Brackett Valery Bogdanova Rebecca Cain-Renshaw Trombone Rachel Clews Double Bass Tuba Isabel Child Zafar Khan-Bourne Simi Fagbemi Jacob Robinson Mrs Alice Yelf George Cox Archie McCulloch Eleanor Gwyther Theo Duke Noah Saleh Lakshmi Kandasamy Flute Percussion Sachi Gwalani Eve Mayes Aria Baker Grace Annetts Amber Holt Tenor Horn Sian McAllister Martha Reeve Tiffany Lau Will Ide Aidan Durant Louisa Phillips Agnes Wu Peter Westbrooke James King Serena Thomson Alfie Marr-Johnson Horn Riya Wadera Oboe Ellie Parton Betrys Galloni Justin Yan Darcey Phillips Amy Thomas Helena Kiggell Mrs Jane Dawson Meghan Watson Elena Tsang Catherine Redmayne Mrs Kathryn Ashwell Mr Chris Potts Clarinet Euphonium Viola Isabel Child Bassoon Mrs Lin Sandys Tom Bristow Sachi Gwalani Malek Marar Claudia Dochoda Kai Hayashi Mrs Jackie Hendry Tuba Anna Power James King Mr Chris Yelf Annabel Stafford Harriet St Pier Saxophone Vincent Wong Luca Calcagnini Percussion Bassoon Marcus Cook Matt Dawkins Malek Marar Jocelyn Smith Xavier Drewell Mrs Audrey Franks Horn Helena Kiggell Catherine Redmayne Mrs Becky Craig Future Events at The Space
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE ENCORE CINEMA SEASON
La Forza Del Destino Within the Golden Hour / World Premiere /
Flight Pattern Sunday 7 April Pamoja Hall Sunday 19 May 2.00pm Pamoja Hall Tickets £18.50 (concession £17, Child/Student £10) 2.00pm Tickets £18.50 (concession £17, Child/Student £10) A drama of obsession, vengeance and tragedy. Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Netrebko star in Verdi's The contemporary face of the Royal Ballet is shown in epic La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny), works from three leading choreographers: Christopher directed by Christof Loy and conducted by Antonio Wheeldon's Within the Golden Hour, Crystal Pite's Flight Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera. Pattern, revived for the first time with Górecki's familiar music from his Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, and Faust between them, a new work by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
Sunday 5 May Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake Pamoja Hall 2.00pm Tuesday 21 May Tickets £18.50 (concession £17, Child/Student £10) Pamoja Hall There are many versions of the story of Faust, 7.15pm Tickets £15 (concessions £12.50 & child/student £8) who trades his soul with the Devil for youth and power, but Gounod's opera remains one of the A new production of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake most enthralling. Michael Fabiano stars as Faust, comes to The Space with a fresh look and is as with Diana Damrau as his beloved Marguerite and daring and beautiful as ever. This thrilling, audacious Erwin Schrott as the diabolical Méphistophélès. and witty production is perhaps still best known Virtuoso leading roles, a large chorus, sensational for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with sets, ballet and an ecstatic finale make this the a menacing male ensemble, which shattered epitome of theatrical spectacle - the lavish scale of convention, turned tradition upside down and took French grand opera is wonderfully in evidence in this the dance world by storm. A powerful interpretation production by David McVicar, set in 1870s Paris. of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece and contemporary Swan Lake for our times. THE SPACE Performing Arts Centre Sevenoaks School, High Street, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1HU Telephone +44 (0)1732 467765 www.thespacesevenoaks.co.uk facebook.com/thespacesevenoaks