THE Chapter House Choir, rounding off its 50th anniversary season, made a spritely start to last Saturday's concert with a performance of Benedicamus Domino by founding director Andrew Carter.

There were fine solos from sopranos Emily Chattle and Anna Hughes as well as bass Mark Simmonds. The opening of Bach’s Jesu Meine Freude was simply gorgeous with lovely dynamic shape.

But the choir were just as impressive with the contrapuntal demands of the work, for example in the second movement Es Ist Nun Nichts Verdammliches, which seemed to flow pretty seamlessly throughout. There were fine cello contributions from cellist Tim Smedley. The closing chorale was very fulfilling, signing off a wonderful musical and spiritual journey.

The choir’s ranks swelled for the performances of Purcell’s Hear My Prayer and Barber’s Agnus Dei; the former harmonically assured (no small achievement) and the latter agonisingly moving.

However, the highlight of the evening was hearing Palestrina’s Agnus Dei and William Byrd’s Laudibus In Sanctis next to each other. These are musical gems that work on so many levels, as did the choir’s performance – some achievement. The serious mood was lifted with Jane Sturmheit conducting Holst (I love My love) and Stanford’s Quick! We Have But A Second, but also in Carter’s Viva, Viva La Musica! where we, the common people, were invited to join in, and very good we were too!

The concert ended with a terrific performance of Schütz’s masterly Alleluja! Lobet Den Herren, which was rhythmically and processionally driven to a thrilling conclusion.