Music and poetry have a common domain, from which they draw inspiration and in which they operate: the landscape of the soul. Together they have the power to lend intellectual form to what is sensed and felt, to transmute both into a language that no other act can express. The magic power that dwells in music and poetry has the ability ceaselessly to transform us.
Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau
The annual Liederabend is a beautiful occasion and a good old-fashioned collaboration between Music and Modern Languages. Basically, anything goes – any songs, from any genre, sung in a foreign language and translated by Modern Language pupils into English in the accompanying programme. All year groups were represented in an eclectic feast of music ranging from Beethoven to Bellini and from Trad to Tchaikovsky.
The venue of the Adderley lends itself well to such an occasion, in fact a fair few of the songs would have originally been performed in rooms of similar size and acoustic (perhaps under the watchful eye of the odd Gainsborough painting!).
Congratulations then to all the following performers and translators: Ben A (Hu), Tabitha L (L6), Alexia M-K (L6 ), Oliver A (L6), Edo Q (L6), Dima M (L6), David A (Sh), Mac P (L6), Olivia M (L6), Eva-Rose M (L6), Maria Julia R (L6), Phoenix F (L6), Emily G (U6), Honor B-G (L6), Ella-Mae C (Hu), Hannah A (L6), Aki A (Sh), Saul T-R (L6), Clarendon H T (Re), Mina T (L6), Johnny C D (Re), Oscar P (L6), Poppy F-W (L6), Beth L (L6), Neil S (Re), Tom Kiggell, Georgie C (U6), Christopher F (U6), Jules C-A (L6), Tom H (L6), Tom H (L6), Felix S (L6), Nina B (L6), Ben W (U6), Niki T-L (L6), Serena M (U6), Oliver R (L6), not forgetting the visiting vocal teachers who prepared the singers and the Modern Language beaks for their guidance in translations.
Finally as always, special thanks to our wonderful accompanists, Clare Toomer and Hamish Brown, for their expert support on the night and dedicated rehearsing in advance.
Philip Dukes
Artistic Director
