Stylish playing in the resonant acoustic of church

With perfect timing the rain clouds dispersed and the sun shone as the first arrivals prepared for their picnic, a pre-concert tradition of the Academy of St Thomas annual visit to Salle church.

Guest conductor Matthew Andrews opened the concert with an elegant reading of Haydn’s Symphony No 94 in G. The Surprise, one of the set composed for Haydn’s first visit to London in 1791. Andrews choice of tempi was excellent, and the orchestra responded with stylish playing, though in the very resonant acoustic of Salle church the winds occasionally overpowered the strings.

Balance was much better in the other 18^th century symphony in the programme, Mozart’s No 40 in G minor. Andrews gave a fine dramatic account of the first movement, a mellow account of the andante, well pointed rhythms in the minuet, with excellent horns in the trio, and a splendid finale.

Matthew Hunt was the distinguished soloist in Weber’s first Clarinet Concerto, a magnificent piece, originally written for the virtuoso Heinrich Baermann. Hunt played it superbly, with marvellous light and shade in expressive passages, superb virtuosity in the bravura passages, and with delightful humour in the finale.

He was equally impressive in Dances and Shrieks of Silver by the young composer Charlie Piper, a fantasy on two Klezmer dances for clarinet and strings. Great stuff, if a little repetitive. It made a splendid finale.

Frank Cliff