This was my first visit to the RHS, and it was impossible not to be impressed by its scale. It is the largest boarding school in East Anglia, set in 200 acres of grounds overlooking the Stour Estuary. The school was formed in 1712 and was originally housed in what is now the Maritime Museum in Greenwich. It has been at the Holbrook site since 1933. The school has a long association with the Royal Navy (it was known as ‘the cradle of the navy’) and the architecture is austere, military and imposing.

The Chapel itself is enormous - the size of a small cathedral. The high arched internal walls are white throughout with only the chancel carrying any decoration.

The Trianon Music Group is a non-professional music group that has been performing since 1959. Trianon's symphony orchestra and choir now have over 200 regularly performing members, ranging in age from 13 to 80 years plus. Professor Christopher Green OBE is a co-founder, artistic director and tonight’s Conductor.

The programme started with Sir Hubert Parry’s I was Glad When They Said Unto Me and set the tone for the rest of the evening. The performance was faultless, and the acoustics of the high ceilinged chapel were perfect for orchestral and choral music.
The piece featured a double chorus – the Trianon singers were positioned behind the orchestra and the School Chapel Choir in a gallery to the rear. The volume and bass of the organ – apparently the third largest in Europe - were astonishing. The organ was played by Peter Crompton, who is Organist and Director of Music at the school.
 
For The Beauty of the Earth is a short piece by John Rutter, who is also the president of Trianon. This was followed by my favourite pieces in the programme – Mode Three Melody (Thomas Tallis) and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (Ralph Vaughn Williams). The combination of voice and orchestra was again sublime and it was easy to be transported by the music.

The first part of the programme closed with Symphony No 3 in C Minor, Op 78 (Camille Saint Saëns) and in its rousing finale the full bass of the monster organ was revealed.

My only (small) criticism of the evening was the provision of toilets. With hundreds of concert goers seeking relief, the small number of available toilets led to considerable queuing during the 20 minute break.

The second part of the concert featured Requiem, Op 9 by Maurice Duruflé. Scored for two soloists, organ, chorus and orchestra, it was influenced by Gregorian chant yet was still contemporary and surprising. Thomas Stoddart, baritone and Sophie Biebuyck, Soprano were the two soloists. Both performed with clarity and conviction.

As we left we mingled with some of the school’s young residents – many in fancy dress – just leaving their school disco, adding a slightly surreal ending to an extremely enjoyable and impressive evening.

More information on Trianon, including how to become a member can be found on their website www.tmg.org.uk

More information on the Royal Hospital School can be found on their website www.royalhospitalschool.org


Adrian Lynch
September 22nd 2008

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