Armonico Consort, Nicola Benedetti (violin), Crispian Steele-Perkins (trumpet), Eloise Irving (soprano), Christopher Monks (conductor)

Baroque cantatas are usually performed somewhere resonant like a church but in the dry acoustic of The Hawth we could hear every detail of this exquisite programme. Eloise Irving sings with a graceful vibrato that has a natural thrill, so her light voice carried beautifully and matched well with Crispian Steele-Perkins’ baroque trumpet. Christopher Monks kept the whole ensemble perfectly balanced and vibrant.

The Vivaldi violin solos were the great treat. Nicola Benedetti almost played duets with herself, such is her virtuosity. For an encore she played no less than part of ‘Autumn’ from Vivaldi’s ‘Seasons’. It was pure delight.

The Hawth, Crawley, 1 April 2012

Rating: