They say that scholars are talented, and how right they are. The Scholars’ Recital on Monday 16 March signalled the end of the Music department’s years in the Aisher Hall, but was a real delight.

Oliver Blackwell and his cello started us off in sublime style with a Popper miniature. This was followed by Beethoven’s Allegro from his sonata in G for piano, in an exceptional performance by Johan Clubb, who played this with great polish while still in Year 7.

Next up was Oliver Clarke singing a breathtaking aria from JS Bach’s St John Passion, his rich voice sending shivers down the spine. Claire de Lune was played so finely by Natalie Chau that no one could resist humming along. Ralph Vaughan Williams is sometimes regarded as one of the greatest British vocal composers and ‘The Vagabond’ is surely one of the best reasons for this; Alex McBride’s rendition was manly and yet tender. Then Jacob Rainbow pushed both his hands and the piano to their limits in his performance of a selection taken from Boulez’ ‘Douze Notations, which varied from low growling angry chords to soaring delicate melodies that left the audience speechless and also showcased the powers of the sustaining pedal on the school’s Bösendorfer.

Serena Yuen once again regaled us with her guitar. Anyone who has heard her before will know it’s needless to say just how fantastic it was, but I’ll do it anyway: it was simply wonderful. Another Middle School pupil, Marcus Mok, gave the penultimate performance, proving that you don’t need to be in the Sixth Form to play the cello with class and pizzazz.

The concert ended with a rip-roaring finale, with a tremendously talented trio of Middle School pupils performing the virtuosic Dvorak piano trio in B flat major. However, the real stars tonight were not the composers, but the scholars, who once again have dazzled us with their phenomenal skill and poise.