This splendid programme rightly attracted a fair sized audience to this fine church on this beautiful evening. Starting with Zadok the Priest, the best known of the four coronation anthems by Handel, the choir, although numbering under 20 voices, produced an initial impact which was to set the tone for the rest of the concert. Their attack, featuring both tonal and dynamic precision, was thrilling and gave the orchestra a wonderful base upon which to add their own contribution. In this, the excellent trumpet playing of Malcolm Knapp and Alison Davidson was worthy of note.
The only purely orchestral item in the concert was Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 4 in G. For this two excellent and well balanced flute soloists, Teresa Cory and Caroline Lomax, were joined by violin soloist John Martin whose handling of the virtuoso solo passages was a feature of the evening. The orchestra, under their conductor Simon Lambros, gave good support but one felt that the layout of the string players, with second violins facing the rear of the orchestra, was such that a proper balance between orchestra and soloists was never going to be entirely satisfactory. (This could have also prevented some untidy moments in the Handel). The several contrasting moments in the slow movement showed what might have been achieved. The soloists, moreover, situated behind the orchestra, might well have been better in front.