Scotch College

Warmth, intimacy and excitement at inaugral concert

Friday, 18 February 2005 marked the start of a new era in the world of Music at Scotch College. The inaugural black-tie concert in the Ian Roach Hall set a benchmark and paved the way for the 2005 series and well into the future. Under the batons of, severally, Director of Music, John Ferguson; Director of Choir, Andrew Hunter; and Nicholas Buc, the symphony orchestra and chamber choir performed works from their recent European tour to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience. Falling only some fifty or so seats short of a full house, the audience provided the perfect opportunity for the boys and staff to express their musical thanks to all who had made the building of this magnificent music auditorium possible. Of particular importance was the recognition by all present of Mrs Judy Roach whose generosity in commemorating her late husband, Ian, had allowed dreams and the architect’s plans to become a beautiful reality.

Not only is the Ian Roach Hall beautiful to look at and comfortable to sit in, but the acoustics are a marvel, as all who listened to the concert would attest. It is warm and intimate, precise yet able to cope with the full power of the orchestra without discomfort or distortion. The triangle in Dvorak’s New World symphony sounded as clearly as the antiphonal echoes of the Chamber Choir or the full rich notes of the massed double basses. There seems nothing that these acoustics are unable to refine into a pure and enveloping sound.

The orchestral performance was excellent throughout the evening. Led by Wilson Zhang in his penultimate performance at Scotch before moving to University, the boys played with precision, enthusiasm and with a well-communicated sense of excitement and joy. Of particular note was Peter Chandler’s outstanding performance of Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen, a gymnastically testing piece which called upon all of Peter’s skills. Not only did he match the demands of the piece, but he communicated his mature understanding of the composer’s intentions. Peter gave a virtuosic performance which left the audience spell-bound.

The Chamber Choir performed a generous bracket of songs, both sacred and secular, and were faultless in their intonation and pitch. Biebl’s Ave Maria was a true test of balance and acoustic, but the choir and soloists responded with confidence and a beautiful sound. This was continued throughout their performance which culminated in the lively orchestral arrangement of Botany Bay by Nicholas Buc, which was much enjoyed by the audience.

The second half comprised Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 (New World) which is at best a challenging though thoroughly rewarding and tuneful piece. Under John Ferguson’s baton, the orchestra soared through the challenges with ease. Oliver Blake’s soulful solos on the cor anglais provided the calm centre of the piece around which the strings wove a rich and compelling texture, supported by some outstanding brass playing – especially from the horns, led by Mond Qu. The excitement of the entire performance was greeted by a lengthy and spontaneous standing ovation in which the pleasure of the audience was echoed by the sheer exuberance of the performers.

This was a night to be remembered – for the music, the generous nature of all the performances, and for the unequalled setting. This night really did mark the start of a new and exciting era in music making at Scotch College.

ALAN WATKINSON
Director of Development

Orchestral performance at the Ian Roach Hall