By William Ruff

Will Todd's Mass In Blue is a setting of the Latin text like no other. In St John's, Carrington on Saturday night the work's driving rhythms, catchy melodies and irresistible exuberance swept both audience and performers off their feet. The usual respectful silence between movements was filled with spontaneous applause and the whole thing could have been encored and no one would have minded if they had missed their last bus.

All this energy and pizzazz needs huge talent in performance. The Kyrie starts with a virtuosic piano trio and it's not long before the soprano soloist enters with a wonderful bluesy melody which requires both vocal range and spiritual intensity. The soloist plays a pivotal part in the whole work so it was just as well that a singer of Sarah Simmonds' caliber was available not only to belt out the show-stopping numbers but also to caress the tender melodies which illuminated the more introspective parts sections. Members of the Nottingham Youth Jazz Orchestra played their hearts out, making Will Todd's score sound as if it was being smelted in the red-hot furnace of improvisation. The East of England Singers, always noted for their dynamism, surely exceeded even their reputation for razor-sharp ensemble and musical muscle.

As a complete contrast, the programme also included deeply felt performances of motets by Gibbons, Tallis and Byrd, interspersed by jazz numbers played by the Orchestra: an arrangement of Gershwin's Summertime and Gordon Goodwin's Count Bubba. The inspirational conductors were Phil Smith and Angela Kay.