East of England Singers | Baroque Celebration

St Barnabas' Cathedral, Nottingham
Saturday 3 October
2009 by William Ruff

If you had closed your eyes you could easily have imagined yourself in Westminster Abbey in 1695. As the drums and trumpets played Purcell's solemn funeral march it was as if the coffin of Queen Mary was being carried towards the High Altar. On the sound-stage created by the East of England Singers and their conductor Angela Kay the singers slow-marched their way to the far end of the cathedral to sing, with other-worldly beauty, the funeral sentences, reminding us that 'In the midst of life we are in death'.

The whole concert, given by the EOES with the New Classical Players, was full of high drama. The second half was devoted to Handel's Dettingen Te Deum, a ceremonial work full of splendid trumpet fanfares (expertly played by Gerald Douglas). Choir, orchestra and bass soloist Jeremy Morris powerfully conveyed the work's message of triumphant confidence, reminding us that the Te Deum's original purpose was to celebrate a British military victory over the French.

Bach's Concerto for Violin and Oboe is a work full of lyrical grace as well as good humour. The rapport between soloists Isobel Bounford and Christian Rudolph brought as much pleasure as their technical expertise.