THE title of the concert could have given the wrong impression as to its content. Stepping away from the usual orchestral fireworks one has come to expect from Ben Hoffnung the programme consisted of entirely string music of an emotional and dramatic nature. The performers on this occasion were the Bristol Ensemble well known contributors to both the Concert Series and Wotton Festival. The concert opened with Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus by Ralph Vaughan Williams, a set of variations on the folk song of that name, also arranged by the composer as the hymn tune Kingsfold. The warmth of the string tone was immediately apparent in the opening statement of the theme whilst the middle variations produced some ethereal solo violin sonority. Unison passages were crisp and clear whilst the lower strings produced a strident movement in the finale. The difficult harp obligati were particularly effective if occasionally lacking precision in ensemble.

Purcell’s Dido’s Lament is well known in form as the Aria firm the opera “Dido and Aeneas” but, after a hesitant start, it lost none of its poignancy in this instrumental arrangement by Stokowski, especially when the melodic line was assigned to the lower strings. Curiously the opening lacked confidence.

It is a mark of Mahler’s genius that in the midst of a massive symphony he inserts a delicate movement requiring the resources of just the string section and harp. Best known as the sound track to the film Death in Venice which traces the composers’ own demise it is a work which stands well on its own. It is intense and full of emotion and fully illustrated the versatility of this ensemble.

The first half concluded with an arrangement of Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 1 This lacked some of the verve and sparkle usually associated with these orchestral dances although it did succeed in raising the tempo and mood before the interval.

The concert concluded with Schubert’s great string quartet no. 14 “Death and the Maiden” in the arrangement by Mahler. Although the quartet is often seen as symphonic in construction the addition of extra resources lost some of the subtleties and intimacy of the original version. Written close to the end of Schubert’s life it contains moments of sinister foreboding and quotation’s from the composer’s song from which the title is taken. From the opening attack the strength of the orchestra was evident with dynamic variation throughout driving the music on. The vibrant character of the ensemble was again evident in the second movement which reflected Mahler than Schubert. The third movement produced a full orchestral sound aided by the acoustic while the finale became a fast and furious tarantella dance with much fine ensemble unison playing. The whole concert was enjoyed by a well supported audience