Review of Perthshire Schools’ Festival lunchtime concert

May 27 2011 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

ALL but a couple of items featured primary school pupils in Monday’s concert in St John’s Kirk. Credit must lie with the instructors of these fledglings to have chosen music for them which allowed them to contribute to an entertaining programme.

For instance, a set of miniatures with give-away titles such as Snowflake, Spring Carol and the happily named Miss P Dolce, were charming and perfect for the two nerveless clarinettists Jessica Wylie and Emma McFarlane.

John and Mhairi Sloan were entirely at their ease showing remarkable competence and assurance in contrasting pieces, Country Dance and The Quiet Pool, and obviously enjoyed the opportunity to play on the Kirk’s new piano.

Opportunity to learn the guitar is now offered youngsters, and its distinctive musical sound is sure to feature more and more in these school concerts. On this occasion two sets of ‘triplets’ performed. Laura MacDonald, Rachel Miller and Elsa Robertson chose to play a couple of well-known American folksongs, while Kirsten Bennet, Adam Marshall and Chris Mellor-Jones went with two very popular tunes, In the Summertime and Fields of Gold. The effect was delightful.

Two pupils’ contributions were outstanding. Fiona Scott’s violin playing of Wieniawski’s Legende showed most assured technique, and caught the mood of the piece beautifully in a truly thoughtful sensitivity. And what a pleasure it was to have a viola soloist. No better work could have been chosen by Joanna Rajcsincova than the sublime Spring Song of Frank Bridge. Joanna’s gentle, warm, mellow, mellifluent playing did full justice to both the work and the instrument.

No schools’ concert would be complete with the brass having its say, and there they were, the Junior Camp Band, in a swarm, topping and tailing the programme. Their inclusion in their final spot of the happy Sweet Caroline and the familiar James Bond Theme left the audience infected with their enthusiasm.

Sigurd Scott