It's that time of year again! We are off and rolling on The Guernsey Eisteddfod Music Section, 2020. It seems to somehow roll around more quickly each year, but perhaps it just feels that way to me - I'm rather busy this year, so do forgive me if it's not as detailed as it has been in previous years, but I am still determined to maintain the blog!
Kicking off the afternoon, and therefore the Eisteddfod, we had a wonderful Piano class from the Under 16s. Every year I'm impressed by the up-and-coming pianists we have here in the island, and the choice of repertoire on offer always reflects the high level of skill these players present. Benjamin Childs won the class with a Distinction, performing Chopin's Nocturne with a sense of maturity and understanding of the style. Next we had three small classes for Brass Solo, the Under 14, Under 16, and Under 18. It is worth noting at this point, as I do every year, that not every class has it's own trophy. Sadly, still, the Under 16 and Under 18 classes have to share a trophy, which I do think is a real shame. I have a detailed list of classes that are without or sharing trophies which you can find on the Donations page of this blog (and it is always updating as donations come in). None the less, three lovely little classes of fine brass playing. Harry Small, who won the Under 14 with Highly Commended, gave us a rousing rendition of the Raider's March by John Williams, which I always feel sounds so great on a brass instrument! The winners of the Under 16 and Under 18 respectively were Benjamin Tasker (who also won the trophy), and Jordan Guillou, both with Distinction. Next up we had the Under 18 Versatility Class, featuring two performers in Sam Cole, and Cara Fitzpatrick. Not only did we have versatility on display, but variety, as Sam performed on both piano and violin, and Cara on voice and saxophone. Two really fine players emerging here, playing both of their instruments to an extremely high standard. Sam, who I feel really is a young musician of incredible promise, won the class with an Outstanding for his performances of 'Le Onde' by Einaudi, Sicillienne and Rigaudon, by Kreisler
We ended the session with the ever popular Pop Song Class; 12 & Under 15. There was a great variety of song choices on offer this afternoon, with everything from ABBA and the Beatles to more recent artists like Ed Sheeran. Our adjudicator, Nancy Litten, made reference to the importance of delivering emotion, and connecting to the audience - as an aside, from my own perspective, I find that singers that really try to connect to the audience often come across less sincere with their performance. Audiences are fickle, we don't like to be told what to feel! So, I prefer to say that you, the singer, need to connect to the song, and then the audience will connect to you. I did agree with Nancy on her statement that the dynamics support the emotion within a song. So often singers just put in dynamics without a reason why, but the dynamics can say so much for you if you really think about them, so spend the time to do that!
- A fabulous class, albeit smaller than it should have been due to the unforeseen quarantining of a few performers (I think we can safely assume that the precautions over Coronavirus this year will have a knock-on effect to a fair few classes this year - but ho hum, at least it's not snow this year!). Some really lovely performances; I felt that Rebecca Philip delivered a lovely rich tone developing with her voice, and Herminone Reoch-Brehault's performance of 'Let it Be' was beautifully placed, and delivered with sincerity and in a relaxed fashion. Class winner Isabel Lees gave a great rendition of the 90s classic 'Don't Speak', rightly earning herself an Outstanding.
Opening out Evening session, we had the Orchestra/Band/Instrumental Ensemble Class; Secondary Age, featuring two competitors; Ladies College Saxophone Octet, and the Elizabeth College Brass ensemble... as per the programme, they actually 'invited a few of their woodwind friends' to join them (according to their teacher!). Nancy emphasised the importance of teamwork within these ensembles, and in particular the need to listen to each other. A lovely start to the evening, with Ladies College taking the win with a Distinction.
The Piano Repertoire O18, always a hugely demanding class, was contested this year by the usual suspects; John Morris, Martin Hassel, and my mother Marilyn Pugh. However, this year, a delightful change in that the marks given, I felt, truly reflected the performers skill! So often the piano classes seem to be marked much lower than other instruments, particularly when you compare the required skills needed for the demanding repertoire on the piano. Great to see both Martin and Marilyn receive Distinctions, and John Morris take the win with an Outstanding 92! Clearly this is an adjudicator who is not afraid to award the high marks early - why should you be? If something is outstanding, it doesn't matter when in the week it appears, it deserves what it deserves I say!
- On a sadder note however, something that did crop up mid-way through this class was hearing chatter from the audience right before a performer was about to start. Some performers are un-phased by these things, but others may be nervous and even the slightest thing can break their focus. Just a gentle reminder from me, think about the performer and give them your attention (you've paid to come see them after all!); keep the chat for the interval or at least between classes, and maybe don't be rustling and wrappers or packets while someone is performing!
Next up we had the Lieder Over 18, for which Jane Martine and Alison Bourgaize won with 89 Marks, and the Piano Solo O18, which saw Hannah Beacom performing Bohemian Rhapsody, earning herself the trophy and a Distinction mark of 87. Following a slight change of scheduling, as the Gilbert & Sullivan Class (only fielding one competitor) has been moved to Friday night, we went straight on to the Jazz Piano O18 class, fielding three powerhouse performances from John Morris, Martin Hassel and Hannah Beacom. I must say, I am really pleased to see Hannah deciding to perform as a soloist this year; she can usually be found accompanying singers, which even though it features the same instrument, it's a very different skill and feeling, so I'm delighted to see her get up and play some fabulous solo repertoire. And clearly her hard work paid off, as she was awarded an amazing Outstanding result of 93 Marks for her performance of Jamie Cullum's 'These are the Days'. Whatever you're doing Hannah, it's working, so bravo!
We closed the night, somewhat earlier than expected with the French Song O18. Another class which saw high results, with Lindsey Veillard coming in second with 89 Marks, and Joy Ligget taking home the trophy with another Outstanding mark of 90. Something my dad and I always discuss, every year it would seem, is whether this class needs to remain 'classical'? Every year my dad always says, "Why do the performers always perform classical songs when there's so many great French songs out there from other genres?" - Granted, my dad is a massive Celine Dion fan, but it is a valid question I suppose, as there isn't actually anything in the rules that states that a French song needs to be a classical song. However, it is one of the classes that a performers mark makes them eligible for, and contributes to their overall mark for the special award, the Marion Blondel Cup, which IS an award for a classical singer. This would seem to suggest it needs to be classical. But I do think that perhaps a 'foreign language pop song' might be something really fun, as there's some amazing music being made in other countries - just look at Eurovision!
All in all, a great, gentle start to the Eisteddfod 2020. Our adjudicator, Nancy Litten, comes across as a pleasant and knowledgeable, and I think we can safely say that she isn't afraid to use the full range of marks on offer, which I'm sure will make for some exciting results!
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