Chamber Concert

A concert of music featuring playing forces of a small, chamber nature delighted an appreciative audience at King's last week. Under the overall direction of Director of Music Colin Albery, several performing groups had the opportunity to impress.

The string orchestra, conducted by Julian White, started proceedings with four movements from Peter Warlock's Capriol Suite, and they were in fine form, relishing the warm acoustic of the King's Chapel. A full-bodied lush sound characterised the Basse Danse and Pavane, the Pieds-en-l'Air flowed along with a lilting tempo, and Mattachins ended with vigorously played rhythms.

A change of sound came with Schubert's Piano Trio in B flat, with Sarah Hill on violin, Alex Wynn on cello and Assistant Director of Music Karen Fergusson at the piano. This was full of vitality, with a typically Schubertian grace and elegance, but a powerfully dramatic ending.

Pachelbel's Canon featured a metronomically accurate rendition of the ground bass by Alex Wynn and some beautifully discreet continuo from Mr White. The whole string orchestra then returned for Karl Jenkins' Palladio, which had plenty of dynamic contrasts, and an ending that sounded like an orchestra twice its size.

The senior string quartet played two movements from Shostakovich's String Quartet No 8 with tremendous accuracy and style, paving the way for the highlight of the evening, a performance of Vivaldi's Gloria, with the Chamber Choir accompanied by string quartet and continuo.

This had an arresting opening, full of rich, warm sonorities in the sustained passages. Emma Butler and Alex Wynn provided two beautifully matched voices for the famous Laudamus Te, and Peter Oakley phrased extremely musically in the alto solo Qui Sedes.

There were some excellent trumpet obbligato contributions from Stuart Paul, before a full-blooded Cum Sancto Spiritu brought to an end a thoroughly satisfying evening of music-making.