Chamber Concert

"An inspirational evening" was how one parent described the chamber concert, held in the Chapel on the night before half-term. Music for smaller forces delighted the audience with its variety, and the sheer quality of performance. From the first chord of Allegri's Miserere, we knew we were in for a memorable evening.

The chamber choir, under their director Chris Holmes, were in great form, with this enormously challenging work. Though close on twelve minutes of unaccompanied singing, the intonation was immaculate, as was the balance of the chording, with powerful singing from the full choir contrasting beautifully with the poignant solo sections. And of course great credit goes to Alex Wynn and Katie Butler, who alternated the solo soprano role, their top Cs ringing out through the Chapel.

Equally virtuosic but occupying a totally different musical world was Jonas Daniels, with Charles de Bériot's Scène de Ballet for solo violin. The incredibly difficult fast passagework was dispatched with ease in a truly balletic performance, full of grace and charm, but totally theatrical when needed.

The senior string quartet then delighted with two movements by the little-known Russian composer Arshak Andriasov. The tightness of the ensemble was remarkable, as was the variety of tone colours they produced. The leader Sarah Hill then gave a hugely mature performance of Bloch's Vidui, a desperately difficult style to capture, but one with which she obviously totally identifies.

This paved the way for the string orchestra, and Corelli's multi-movement Concerto Grosso Op 6 No 8. Changes of tempo and atmosphere were managed beautifully, and the richness of the sound was quite outstanding. Leading us back to the world of sacred choral music, Peter Oakley gave a faultless performance of the Agnus Dei from Bach's B minor Mass - his intonation is remarkable, as is his totally intuitive sense of phrasing.

The programme came full circle for the finale, with the return of the chamber choir, and the last two movements from Handel's Messiah. This was a truly thrilling way to end the evening, with powerful choral textures underpinned by dramatic trumpets and timpani. A wonderful evening of really impressive musicianship.