Welland Park Community College, Market Harborough, 7th October 2007

"How do you walk and play at the same time?" asked one young audience member in the question-and-answer session that rounded off this particularly happy Sunday afternoon gig.

The question was a welcome one, vindicating the two hours' precious rehearsal time the Choir had just spent sashaying between stands, debating right leg/left leg first issues, experimenting with walking speeds, big saxes on stairs, exit routes and much more – such details have to be exhaustively revised for each new venue. That said, the Welland Park Community College was a near-perfect space in which to present the Choir's trade-mark 'show', a real gem of a concert hall with a generous stage area, excellent backstage facilities (the school music suite) and a lovely acoustic. Above all, the event promoters, the Great Bowden Trust, were welcoming, immaculately organized and even offered a skilled stage lighting service - a winning package.

With this kind of support and a full hall, the Choir could hardly fail to respond well despite the slightly unnerving presence of founder/conductor Nigel Wood in the audience, free of playing commitments to listen, record and assess. (His soprillo was still in transit from repair in Germany, officially 'held in customs' but more probably and prosaically, delayed in the postal strike.) No doubt the recording will reveal the odd handful of wrong notes, moments of forgetfulness and momentary failures of nerve but overall this was a high-energy and tightly-presented programme, with some especially pleasing contrasts (the velvet sophistication of tango in Piazolla's Oblivion followed by Matitia's manic Crazy Rag for example, or the rousing Shetland Sequence finale with the soothing lushness of Over the Rainbow as encore.)

Old favourites (Mrs Malcolm by Richard Ingham, Karen Street's Carnival, the Lone Arranger and Ravel's Bolero) proved yet again to be reliable winners, but the afternoon's highlights were undoubtedly provided by soprano soloist Gerard McChrystal's guest appearances in Nigel's Under the Veil and, together with Catherine Evison on alto, in R.A.Mould's lovely arrangement of "Erbarme dich, mein Gott" from J.S.Bach's St Matthew Passion. The premiere in its version for sax choir of Ulrich Schultheiss' vivid picture of city life, Metropolitains, was certainly pacey and fun for players, a stimulating item of programming for listeners.

Guest conductor Keith Allen had taken the Choir for a couple of efficient and refreshing rehearsals before the concert and his authority, focus and evident sympathy with the Choir's objectives had a great deal to do with the afternoon's success. His response to the walking and playing query? "Good question! With difficulty..."

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