The Durham University Classical Ensemble have had an amazing year. The Classical Ensemble fills a gap in the Durham music scene, exploring new and perhaps more niche repertoire that suits the players and also working towards historically informed performance practice. DUCE’s concert on Friday evening in the Town Hall embodied this ethos, with  an exciting and dramatic rendering of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No.1, and Haydn’s Creation Overture. As my own overture to an appraisal of the performance itself, I shall briefly address issues specific to this Classical Ensemble. The historically informed performance movement has moved from the fringes of musical performance practice to...

Voices commendably performed their last concert of the year, ‘Tunes in June’, in St Oswald’s Church. Beginning with the classic ‘Oh Danny Boy’, there was clear communication between the conductor, Daniel Murphy, and the singers. The text was clear, and intonation remained sound throughout the a capella piece, and although balance was a challenge given the serious gender imbalance, the sole bass, Andrew Narracott, could be heard well and was performed admirably. Next was ‘Rocky Road to Dublin’. The tempo was a good choice in providing energy in the performance, although the text was occasionally lost, and I would’ve...

The Palatinate Orchestra celebrated their 10thanniversary with an interesting and eclectically programmed concert in the aptly grand setting of Durham Cathedral. This concert showcased some of the most successful works that DUPO have performed over the last decade to an enthusiastic full house. DUPO’s Chamber orchestra opened with Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances and the third movement of Dvořák’s eighth symphony, conducted confidently by Harry Lai. The dynamic variation in the ensemble was good and generally the players were very responsive to Harry’s baton. A particular highlight was the first movement of Nielsen’s Flute Concerto, stunningly performed by soloist Giselle Lee. Clearly...

Building upon their success over the past academic year, the Durham University Concert Band and Whitworth Park School (& Sixth Form College) came together to present their programme: A Concert Band Celebration. Outreach events have also included Durham University music students and GCSE students from Whitworth; joining together to work on musical performance and composition techniques, helping to build confidence and musical skills. It was a pleasure therefore, this evening, to hear the collaboration of two very talented groups of musicians, which are at the forefront of fostering musical development outside of school and university environments. The Whitworth Park...