REVIEW: Britten Sinfonia at Aylsham Festival

Not a single cough broke the spellbinding magic created by the Britten Sinfonia as it performed Mozart’s Flute Quartet No 1 as the opening piece in a concert at St Michael’s Church, which marked the finale of this years’ Aylsham Festival.

The programme, which also included works by Britten, Watkins, Debussy and Ravel was innovative and bold, whilst the standard of musicianship from this ensemble was simply outstanding with such well judged balance and interplay between each instrument.

Guest soloist, Sally Pryce treated the 200 strong audience to a master class in the tonal and virtuosic possibilities of the harp as she performed Britten’s Suite written for this instrument.  Karen Jones, principle flautist with all the major London orchestras gave a stunning performance and the haunting sound of her Edward Almeida Flute echoed throughout the church.

The Britten Sinfonia has gained a reputation as one of the UK’s premier ensemble groups and is equally at home performing at the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall and the Barbican.  Many of it’s members are recording artists and you will hear their performances on the soundtracks to Harry Potter, Skyfall and The Great Gatsby, as well as backing well known artists such as Florence and the Machine.

This was a truly special and memorable concert, which was a privilege to attend.

Hayley Meyer