Taylorian 2020

44 As for a solution, Lord Sacks urges compassion and kindness, listening with reason even when a view differs from one’s own. Perhaps a period of enforced isolation will provide the inspiration. News News Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks visits MTS O n the evening of March 11, the former Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, visited Merchant Taylors’. He came to discuss his new book, Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times, and was interviewed by Deputy Head (Academic) Rob Garvey. On first impression, the message of the strength of community against the surge of individualism seems difficult to portray against a backdrop of self-isolation, but Rabbi Sacks compellingly described the shift in focus from ‘we’ to ‘I’ over the 20th century. Tracing the seismic shift in relationships since the advent of the internet and the Information Revolution, Lord Sacks reflected on the amount of time that we spend as individuals and the impact that has on us and society. His message is the importance of connections and community. He used the example of the Beatles, who conquered the world as the identically styled ‘Fab Four’ in 1964, saying that their creative peak was during their closest and most collaborative years which, he argued, petered out not long after each began to pursue their individual goals. The London Schools Symphony Orchestra F ounded in 1951, the London Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO) comprises musicians drawn from students in London schools. It features professional conductors and soloists and is considered one of the finest youth orchestras in the world; it has been hailed by Sir Simon Rattle as ‘an incomparable ambassador for the dynamism and excellence of British youth’. In recent years boys fromMerchant Taylors’ have regularly performed as part of the orchestra. This year has been no exception, with Willem and Niels Redman (violin), George Wright (trombone and euphonium) and Toby King-Cline OMT (oboe) participating in this season’s concerts, which always take place in the Barbican. Entry to the orchestra is by a tough audition process, after which the musicians commit to several days of concentrated rehearsals which precede each concert. Willem and Toby took part in last September’s concert and were supported by an enthusiastic group of MTS music scholars in the audience. The concert featured several items including Dvorak’s ‘Scherzo Capriccioso’, Britten’s ‘Sinfonia da Requiem’ and Eleanor Alberga’s suite based on Roald Dahl’s ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. The last piece combines Jamaican and African influences, reflecting Alberga’s own musical background, and was accompanied by dancers from the Elmhurst Ballet School. Willem, Niels, George, and Toby performed in the January concert, which was entitled ‘Music from The Dark Side’ and presented a series of readings and musical reflections on the nature of evil. The audience was treated to a journey of music by Mendelssohn, Liszt, Berlioz and Schnittke interspersed with readings by Dame Janet Suzman from Paradise Lost and Doctor Faustus. It was clear fromboth concerts that the young musicians were meticulously rehearsed, and the resulting quality of each performance was outstanding. The future of orchestral music in Britain is clearly in good hands! Mrs J H Stubbs