John Phillips reviews the Burnham Music Group 40th Anniversary Concert from Saturday December 9.

The Burnham music group chorus was on top form, as was the small orchestra of strings and trumpets the latter of which featured prominently in the appropriately glorious performance of Vivaldi’s GLORIA which also including important contributions from the beautiful singing of visiting soprano soloist Suzanne Walker, and a returning former member of BMG alto Gavin Oddy.

There followed a mainly reflective very English piece, that provided a perfect contrast to the Gloria. This was a Concerto for two alto recorders, Harpsichord and strings, by Peter Dale founder of the BMG, and now returned to conduct not only his piece but the whole concert, with a quiet authority that I am sure was another major factor in the whole evening going so well.

After the interval, a piece Mariposa del Aire written for, and performed by, the BMG with Peter Dale in 1989 , was revisited and with the composer present achieved a lovely effect. Using English version of Poems by the Spanish Poet Lorca, this piece had an open air quality reminiscent of Coplands ‘Appalachian Spring’ but with at times a sinister undertow of droning.

Tom Potten’s ‘Three Settings for Christmas’ composed for the BMG in 2015 followed. Reflective and moving, the last piece ‘O Magnum Mysterium’ featured what reminded of Bells ringing out, contrasting with a lovely and well played counter melody for the Cello.