"I heard a Voice from Heaven" St Mary Redcliffe Saturday, 29th March 2008

"ADVENTUROUS WORKS HANDLED WITH BRIO"

"With such a strong, definite conductor as P[eter] Leech at the helm this choir is hardly in need of extra incentive to give of their best. However, such an incentive was on hand for this concert with three of the four composers represented on the programme sitting in the audience.

Howard Blake's Festival Mass for Double Choir contains a great deal of drama and would have benefited from a full-strength choir. Only 46, including 16 men, were present on this occasion.

Despite this shortage of volume and depth to create dramatic effect there were some lovely moments, the Agnus Dei was particularly good. Excellent work also came from organist Nigel Nash and percussionists Kirsten Graham and Jeremy Little...

At the end of his The Ninth Hour: Four Latin Motets composer Michael Stimpson rose from his seat, with justification, to salute the choir which had handled the difficult phrasing of his music with skill and belief.

Herbert Howells's more straightforward Requiem was handled with aplomb, drawing this adventurous evening to a highly satisfactory conclusion."

(Gerry Parker - BRISTOL EVENING POST - 31.03.08)