Touchin once sat in the leader's chair now occupied by our friend Martin Bisknell and Martin first played this piece in 1981 when at Stockport Recorder College. The MRO had other ideas however and it became immediately clear that we were not in Trinity Church to take afternoon tea! Their first piece by Colin Touchin - Prelude, Chorale and Fugue Op 16 - is as the conductor said '.a modern piece of serious intent.' This is not an orchestra that takes music lightly. A recorder orchestra is a wonderful thing, the instruments range over three octaves from the nine inch sopranino to the six foot sub-contrabass, and the sound can be very soothing indeed. It has been a long and interesting Fringe and I was looking forward to rounding it off with a gentle concert with the MRO. Peter Low Manchester Recorder Orchestra - Summer Concert

She has the ability to emphasise, where necessary, the different sections of the orchestra so that we could gain a clear understanding of the composer's intentions. Moreover Louise Latham showed us what a wonderful conductor she is. Here we were treated to some really marvellous string playing. The programme concluded with the well known Serenade for Strings Op 48 by Tchaikovsky. Her performance was nothing less than a tour de force. Formerly Principal Bass with the Hallé she has the technical skill to play this demanding piece.

The Amaretti are fortunate to have Diana Milner in their Bass section. Jacob had set out to compose pieces for the less fashionable instruments and this work is one of the results. Amaretti are to be congratulated on including works by a living composer and it is hoped that they will continue to do that.Ī brief acknowledgement of the Elgar celebrations with Chanson de Matin Op 15 and then a rarity - Gordon Jacob's Double Bass Concerto. An added bonus the composer was present and was invited to say a few words about the work. It is very much in the English tradition and clearly influenced by Tippet and Finzi. This lovely piece was written for Alan Bennett's Wind in the Willows. Then a new work by Patrick Jones, head of music at the Metropolitan University entitled The grass grows tall. This mood was very well caught by the orchestra. Composed shortly before the Second World War the music reflected the general anxiety about the future. They opened with Lennox Berkeley's Serenade for Strings Op 12. They tend to concentrate on English composers which this year made up the first part of their programme. The Amaretti have established themselves as one of the finest string ensembles in the region and we were not disappointed with their return to this year's Fringe.

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