MusSoc Flies High!

At the end of November Mus Soc gave their annual concert in Pears School, and it was a thrilling event.  The general concensus has certainly been that it was one of the best Choral Society concerts yet!  The school’s Orchestra played Khachaturian’s Adagio, from Spartacus (the famous Onedin Line theme) and the String Orchestra played Bartok’s Romanian Dances.  Both were played with style and panache.  The Mus Soc choir then gave it’s first intervention of Handel’s My Heart is Inditing leaving the audience thoroughly looking forward to the second half. 

After the interval came the Mozart Mass in C minor.    A stunning piece of music, it played with a beautiful, graceful elegance by a professional orchestra led by our very own Kelly McCusker.  Here the choir really shone.  They sang with gusto, conducted with expert precision and plenty of passion by Director of Music John Bowley.  Each movement was sung with conviction and clarity, not to mention rhythmic precision and all the details which are essential in any performance of a work by Mozart.   It was particularly gratifying to see such an excellent mixture of pupils, parents and members of the local community singing together with such enthusiasm on the stage of Pears School.

The choir was joined by an excellent quartet of professional soloists, including Thomas Guthrie, John Bowen, Kathryn Turpin and Nicki Kennedy.  The solo movements, in particular for the two female voices, really lift this work.  The most beautiful aria, given as a gift by the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to his future wife, is one of the most demanding pieces of the soprano repertoire, and Miss Kennedy gave a sparkling performance.

Mus Soc is a growing club in the Repton community, and Mr Bowley has been particularly delighted to welcome so many new faces this year.   We hope that next year, yet more will sign up to sing in an event which brings our whole school and village community together at the beginning of the bobsleigh ride that takes us all whizzing to the end of term!