Fresh from their successful performance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius in the Oxford Sheldonian, Aylesbury Choral Society returned to more familiar territory with a concert of liturgical music by Haydn (mostly) and Mozart in St. Mary's Church.

The choir's strong and well-balanced qualities were amply in evidence in Haydn's Te Deum, Nelson Mass and the rarely heard motet Insanae Curae. The strengthening of the tenor and bass sections has greatly improved the balance of the choir and the whole choir sang their hearts out with evident enjoyment in spirited performances of all three Haydn works.

And in Mozart's famous Ave Verum Corpus, they demonstrated their expressiveness in quieter, more reflective music

The progress of the choir in recent years reflects great credit on their accomplished young conductor James Burton, who conducted stylishly and effectively.

The coloratura soprano Amy Freston was the soloist in Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate, which she sang powerfully and athletically. She also had the leading role in the quartet of soloists in the Nelson Mass; here her power occasionally threatened the balance of the quartet, as did a somewhat obtrusive organ accompaniment at times.

However, these were minor blemishes in a most enjoyable evening, in which choir and soloists were capably supported by the Clarus Orchestra, an ensemble of talented young professionals. The concert also benefited from a notably well-designed and informative programme

St. Mary's church provides a musically and architecturally appropriate setting for music of this kind, but is not particularly well-equipped for audience comfort in its seating and refreshment arrangements.

It is to be hoped that the new Waterside Development will eventually provide a suitable venue for all of Aylesbury's vibrant community music activities.

Charles Vincent

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