Last updated 13:37, Thursday, 08 May 2008

The City of Carlisle Orchestra and Stanwix Singers, Wigton Road Methodist Church, Carlisle This concert began with a powerful performance of Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture in which the orchestra succeeded in bringing out the music’s predominantly emotional drive.

The players, under their director John Hammond and leader Catherine Swarbrick, had as their guests the Stanwix Singers (the new name for the choir based at the Brampton Road Campus of the University of Cumbria).

Their director is Mary Hitch who, together with the conductor for the evening Ashley Turner (who is also one of the choristers), performed an excellently controlled yet spirited variety of pieces. They ranged from Dance a Cachucha from The Gondoliers, Danny Boy, The Way You Look Tonight and ended with three unaccompanied South African songs. Altogether a masterful performance by a group of very young, talented and well-schooled singers.

Alexander Borodin’s Symphony No 2 concluded the concert and found the orchestra in excellent form.

In the first movement the brass and woodwind sections dominated while in the third movement the strings handled the main theme very well indeed. The fourth movement and finale erupted into an exuberant burst of sound which brought the concert to a breathtaking conclusion. Another successful evening for the director, leader and whole orchestra.

EDWIN AUSTIN