Our first Music at Lunchtime recital this half-term featured Tomas Dickinson, performing selections from West Side Story and Les Misérables, as well as songs by Gerald Finzi and Schubert, accompanied by Head of Piano, Anne Bolt.
Tomas opened the recital with two songs from Gerald Finzi’s Let us garlands bring. In Come away, death, Tomas captured the haunting melancholy of the piece with a controlled tone and sensitivity, creating a striking contrast to the bright, playful character of Who is Silvia?, which he navigated with effortless energy.
Next, Tomas enchanted the audience with Schubert’s Die Forelle, a lively tale of a trout swimming happily in a stream, only to be caught by a cunning fisherman. Tomas brought the piece to life, from the carefree joy of the trout to the final twist, with vibrant expressiveness.
The recital continued with two songs from Les Misérables. Tomas imbued Javert’s character with powerful depth, delivering Stars with unwavering determination and capturing the emotional turmoil of Javert’s Suicide with both sensitivity and intensity.
The programme concluded with Leonard Bernstein’s Maria from West Side Story. With a voice full of warmth and emotion, Tomas infused the final piece with grace, conveying the passion and longing of the character.
Well done to Tomas and to Ms Bolt for an outstanding recital.
The recording from this week’s concert is available online here.
Our next Music at Lunchtime recital will feature a selection of our strings pupils performing Music for trio and quartets by Dvořák, Mendelssohn and Grażyna Bacewicz.
