Rapturous reception for Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

The School’s Symphony Orchestra delighted those attending its latest performance in the Chapel of St Augustine on Friday night (15 March).

A total of 60 boys, from across all year groups, performed Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op. 36, in its entirety.

Earlier in the evening the Symphony Orchestra treated the audience to Four Norwegian Moods, by Stravinsky, and Arvo Pärt’s Fratres.

The concert, which lasted a little more than an hour, was conducted by Mark Forkgen, Director of Music.

Mr Forkgen said he was delighted that such an ambitious programme was played with finesse and flourish. “We had a very colourful rendition of Stravinsky’s folk arrangements, and a beautifully nuanced performance of the mesmeric Fratres,” he said.

“It is an exceptional achievement for a School to play all four movements of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4, and to capture the character and pace of the piece as a whole. Orchestra members showed not only the skill, but also the restraint and poise required to do it justice. Our talented students truly rose to the occasion.”

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4 remains one of the most frequently performed symphonies of the late 19th century, and is commonly ranked by critics as among the best of his works.