Music on a Summer Evening

at St Mary Redcliff (Bristol) by the Cameo Orchestra

For the third year in a row we visited the beautiful setting of St Mary Redcliffe on a summer's evening to enjoy a concert by the Cameo Orchestra. The varied programme offered a selection of music from Albinoni to Schwartz, performed by the orchestra, pianists, an organist and a singer.

The concert started strongly with Guilmant's Grand Processional for an Academic Occasion which really was Grand. In the overture by Suppe, the music began softly with a gentle tune played by the strings and the woodwind responded. Then the strings were bowing sharply creating an angry, buzzing crescendo leading to a lilting tune and then a rousing end. In just the first two pieces the orchestra had demonstrated its talent across a range of moods.

Back to Guilmant with an organ solo, performed by Andrew Kirk, with a piece of music that seemed designed to show off the newly restored pipe organ. Then Albinoni's adagio for organ and strings, a personal favourite, and the organ was perfectly balanced with the strings section of the orchestra.

We were then treated to 3 pieces sung by Penelope Davies who informed us of King Arthur (Purcell), love and loss (Giordani) and (Purcell again) Shakespeare's "If music be the food of love, sing on".

In the Gondoliers the woodwind had a chance to shine again with light-hearted music and a pure solo from the flute. Wicked was not bad at all with sunny, upbeat melodies but ended with noisy, deliberately discordant brass.

A selection from Les Miserables started the second half of the concert, flowing from one melody to the next.

Three more songs: Songbird, How could I ever know (Secret Garden) and Show me (My Fair Lady). These heartfelt performances demonstrated the great range and power of Penelope Davies' voice.

The salute to Cole Porter was a medley of tunes that made very easy listening. Another organ solo, Elgar's Imperial March, gave the impression that the organist was hinting at the possible power that could be unleashed. Wood's Fantasia on British Sea Songs generated the most noticeable audience response, clapping along to a hornpipe ever faster.

Finally the magnificently performed wonderful Organ Symphony by Saint Saens, with the orchestra, Andrew Kirk on the organ and Claire Alsop on the piano. A fabulous end to a marvellous concert.