Baroque – Eye Bach Choir

Shirtsleeves and coloured tops were a relaxed feature of this Eye Town Hall concert conducted by Leslie Olive.

The bible provided much of the source material in Baroque music. So we heard Vivaldi’s Magnificat and Credo, a setting of the Nicene Creed. Then we heard some Mozart, Lotti’s Crucifixus and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. The religious music had an austerity about it but also an enervating, life-affirming glow.

The performance by William Bass in Vivaldi’s Cello Concerto was as starry as his shirt. He showed an adept, urgent flourish in the Allegro, a soulful intensity in the Largo, gliding into a vivacious Adagio.

In a Divertimento the orchestra recreated all the Allegro’s vitality, Andante’s serenity and Prestos’ tripping feel that the teenaged Mozart composed.

Under Mr Olive’s direction the choir tackled the high passions of Calvary, achieving passages of storming adoration.

Basil Abbott, Diss Express