Yesterday, on a golden october afternoon, the long-awaited collaboration with the Uttlesforde Orchestra took place in the Friends’ school hall. We opened with Peter and the Wolf and then zipped through Bizet’s Jeux d’Enfants, Patterson’s Rebecca and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake suite, rounding off with Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” for an encore. It was a terrific afternoon. The school hall looked wonderfully English and charming with the orchestra on stage and the bunting strung along the windows.
After setting up my board, easel, paper and paints – on a scale I’ve never done before – it was straight into rehearsals with the orchestra. The festival people did a fantastic job, setting everything up, including a raffle and book sales. It all went by so quickly and suddenly the hall was packed to absolute capacity by excited children and eager parents. And we were off.
All I can really remember (apart from dwelling on the odd fluffied line!) is a sea of colour: literally hundreds of children enjoying the music, watching the pictures and having fun. And the roar of approval that greeted the orchestra at the end was thoroughly deserved as they played brilliantly.
Peter and Rebecca were the BIG challanges. The picture of the inside of the piano give you an idea of the “orchestration” of Rebecca, with balls, balloons and tin cans, whips, megaphones and buckets of water… A crazy piece!
We are already considering another concert next year. I wonder what we should perform. Any ideas…?
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