With just 94 pupils, all stringently selected for their musical prowess and potential, the Yehudi Menuhin School is nurturing the cream of the crop, incredible young music prodigies in the making, and nowhere does it become more obvious then when attending one of their student recital concerts at the purpose built concert venue, The Menuhin Hall, nestled in the leafy grounds of the school, based near Cobham, Surrey.
I had the great pleasure of being invited to the final concert in their Spotlight series, to watch six of the YMS students performing a variety of classic pieces. Ranging in age from just 10 to 16 years of age, I knew beforehand that these are the best and brightest, children who despite their tender years, have dedicated themselves to playing, learning and living music from an age when most of us were barely self-aware, never mind having found a true passion.
One of the most striking things about the audience that night was the notable number of other students in the auditorium, there to support their friends on stage, or simply to hear a particular piece played. These are musicians who will go on to international solo and chamber music careers as adults, and gaining as many performance hours and experience is an integral part of the journey.
Starting off the evening was:
Piano Sonata No. 10 in C Major K333 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and
Grandes etudes de Paganini – Franz Liszt
Performed by the youngest student of the evening, Jack Cockburn aged just 10, Jack showed incredible poise and talent on the piano, playing entirely from memory, taking his time to settle quietly in between movements. The final piece however saw Jack really hit his stride, showing a greater degree of physicality at the keys, emotionally feeling his way through the piece by Liszt. His performance when contrasted against the older musicians really shows the great value in starting public performance early, I believe we’re in for a treat as this young chap’s already admirable confidence continues to grow along with him.
Six Balkan Miniatures – Dušan Bogdanović
Performed by Henry Lin – Guitar. The most modern of the pieces played in the recital, composed in 1991 by Serbian-born Bogdanović, the impassioned playing by Henry as he cradled his acoustic classical guitar, with accomplished finger-plucked melodies emphasised with Balkan folk music-inspired taps and slaps on the guitar body, took the audience to an entirely different place and time and the acoustic of the hall allowed us to hear every nuance of his gifted playing.
Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major Op. 12 No. 1 – Ludwig van Beethoven.
A violin / piano duet with student Vasilisa Sokolova on Violin, accompanied by staff pianist Miho Kawashima on piano, herself a graduate of YMS and very obviously an expert in the sensitivity required for the string/piano combination, particularly in this piece where violin and piano are very much equal partners in the music.
Vasilisa was wonderfully composed and seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself as she worked through the three very distinct movements of this vibrant piece, taking us along with her through this early work by Beethoven, which he dedicated to Antonio Saleri. As a side note, her beautiful black devore, full length draped dress really got me thinking about the performance wardrobe required by these young musicians – a lifetime of concert halls, opera houses and theatres ahead of them, learning to ‘dress the part’ is all part of the education supplied by the school.
After the interval, we returned with another string/ piano duet, this time with Naomi Graffe on the cello, accompanied by Nigel Hutchinson on the piano.
Fantasiestucke Op 73 – Robert Schumann
Composed in 1849, this three movement piece, often played as a clarinet / piano duet, goes from being tender, to light and lively, ending in a triumphant, energetic finale and Naomi did it great justice, building from a tentative start to a full throttle last movement played with gusto and delight. A lovely performance, but one that might have been improved by moving the stage mics a little closer to Naomi as the balance felt off between the piano and the cello, with the cello getting a little lost in the mix at times.
Papillons Op. 2 – Robert Schumann
Aaron He, playing the piano, also chose a piece from Schumann, one composed 18 years earlier when Schumann was just 21.
As its name might suggest, ‘papillons’ being the French word for ‘butterflies’, this piece flits around with 12 short piano miniatures, written to evoke the shifting identities of the fictional masked ball Schumann was directly inspired by. Despite being just 16, Aaron’s many years of practice at the piano and his obvious love for the instrument came through with a sensitive and expressive performance.
The final performance of the night was another incredibly accomplished violin / piano combination, this time performed by Sasha Mykhailichenko on violin and Miho Kawashima on piano again.
Caprice d’après l’étude en forme de valse de Saint-Saëns by Eugène Ysaÿe is a technical and demanding piece, written by the composer for himself as a violinist. Sasha sailed through the fast arpeggios, demanding double stops, and high-position passage work, with Miho’s accompaniment keeping the piece within an elegant, lilting waltz.
Sasha’s performance was outstanding, involved and dramatic and very much the highlight of the recital. And if it’s anything to go by, overhearing her student peers leaving the auditorium talking in awe struck whispers about her dedication to practice, Sasha’s is a name we’ll be sure to spot on the professional music solo circuit in years to come.
The Yehudi Menuhin School has currently have around 700 Friends and 94 pupils (almost at our maximum, which is 100).
Our Friends play a vital role in supporting the school. With their membership fees and donations, YMS are able to fund things like:
- Bursaries (90% of pupils need some kind of financial support to be able to attend the school)
- New instruments (in the last couple of years they have been able to purchase a harp and a double bass)
- New practice spaces (they recently built 4 lovely new freestanding ‘garden rooms’, each fully soundproofed and with a piano)
Visit menuhinhall.co.uk to find out more and book your tickets for their upcoming Summer Festival concerts, starting in June with a series of six ‘Summer Solos’ recitals, and finishing off the year with the ‘Festival Finale: –Summer Serenade’ on the 3rd July. If you love classical music played by some exceptionally fine young musicians, it’s well worth a visit to The Menuhin Hall this summer.
