Following the orchestral celebrations earlier in the week, the choirs to transformed the Pamoja for one final time with Mr Dyer in charge. There were some astonishing shows of musicality from students across all age groups, particularly showcasing many of our Sixth Formers in their final Choral Concert at Sevenoaks, all of whom will be greatly missed next year.
The Junior Chamber Choir opened the evening, singing the traditional Welsh hymn Calon Lân, with beautiful solos by Sophia (Y8), Ava and Rose (Y9). This uplifting anthem, translating to ‘A Pure Heart’, was followed by ‘Rainbow Connection’, first known for its appearance in The Muppet Movie.
Upper Voices Choir then took to the stage, bringing Rachel DeVore Fogarty’s setting of the beautifully evocative poem ‘To the Flowers that Spring’ to life. These lush, sometimes up to six-part harmonies filled The Space, before a more jazzy set of harmonies replaced them with Voices of Freedom singing Billy Taylor’s ‘I wish I knew how it would feel to be free’ – a powerful anthem from the American Civil Rights Movement.
To close out the first half, Sennocke Consort brought a typically ambitious, opening with Mozart’s ‘Laudate Dominum’. The audience was visibly moved by the performance, as Eve’s (U6) solo line carried gracefully above the accompanying chamber orchestra and choir. It was then the turn of student compositions, starting with Noah’s (U6) ‘O God, my Lord and saviour’, conducted by Seia (U6) a work that combines modernist ideas of serialism and bitonality with more traditional compositional techniques to encapsulate the mystical nature of nature of faith. Eve (U6) conducted her own piece, ‘A madrigal’, whose 20th century interpretation of Renaissance polyphony was followed by an example of the source of inspiration itself with Tallis’s ‘1st Lamentation of Jeremiah’.
The second half brought together the Sevenoaks musical community, filling the stage with singers and instrumentalists alike as Choral Society prepared to tackle some of the greatest choral works of the past several hundred years. Directed in turn by Miss Eccleshall, Mr Harvey, Ms Day, Mr Palmer and Mr Dyer, they begun with Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’, with its grandeur and virtuosic vocal runs. Haydn’s ‘The Heavens are Telling’, including a stunning recitative from Lara (U6) and solo trio sung by Camilla, Evan and Noah (U6), was followed by Brahms’s divine ‘Wie Lieblich Sind’. The sheer dramaticism of Fauré’s ‘Libera me’ was next up, where Dennis (L6) expertly tackled one of the most famous solos of the repertoire.
Few could have anticipated that the finale of the concert would elevate the intensity even further, culminating in Verdi’s ‘Libera me’. The performance traversed a remarkable emotional spectrum from the exhilarating soprano solos delivered by Ms Dobie and Ms Davies to the poised and contemplative central section before culminating in five minutes of some of the most demanding and dramatically charged choral fugue writing.
It stands as a testament to the dedication and expertise Mr Dyer has invested in the choirs throughout his tenure that a school ensemble could even contemplate undertaking music of such brilliance. The standing ovation he received from both audience and performers was a fitting, if modest, expression of gratitude for his many years of commitment and artistry.
