THE Great Hall of the Bishop's Palace was the venue for Tuesday evening's concert in this year's Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival.

It provided an intimate atmosphere for the 60 or so concert-goers gathered there to hear 12 young musicians playing at their finest.

The concert opened with a Clarinet Trio by Carl Frhling, a rarely heard contemporary of Brahms. Like Brahms' music, this work was impassioned and very intense, at times very dark, giving a brief glimpse of a rich and sombre character, typical of this period. The third movement was particularly beautiful, filling the air with a tangible intensity. Rebecca Woolcock, playing the piano, brought out the sonority of this movement effortlessly.

Charm

The Quartet in A minor, Op.35, by Arensky, scored for the unusual combination of violin, viola and two cellos, created a great contrast to the Frhling. This was full of Russian charm, particularly notable in the 2nd movement, which made use of a familiar theme by Tchaikovsky. The third movement was captivating, starting slowly with graceful serenity and then developing to an energetic climax that was well executed, if a little safe.

However, the highlight for me, was the closing performance of Faur's Quintet in D minor, Op.89. The kaleidoscopic textures are typical of Faur's writing, and they were brought to life by the confident and fearless playing. The dramatic mood swings from the soporific to tumultuous heights were excellently depicted.

A credit to the festival committee for organising such an imaginative concert!