Date: Saturday 27th June 2026
Venue: St Mary’s Church, Burwell
Programme: Psalmfest (John Rutter), Three Spirituals (arr. various), Harpsonnets (James Bassi)
Featuring: Ely Consort with Matthew Rudd (Conductor), The Quintessential Ensemble
On one of the hottest evenings of the year, with a summer heatwave making St Mary’s Church, Burwell warm and humid, Ely Consort delivered another exceptional performance, one that left the audience in no doubt that the heat was entirely worth bearing.Two intervals gave performers and audience alike a welcome chance to cool down outside with refreshments, lending the evening a relaxed and convivial atmosphere that suited the joyful programme perfectly.
The centrepiece of the evening was John Rutter’s Psalmfest, a demanding and varied collection of psalm settings that showcases the full range of one of Britain’s most beloved choral composers. The piece is not without its challenges; complex syncopation and shifting rhythms test even experienced choirs, and Ely Consort met every one of them with confidence and poise. The Lord is My Shepherd was particularly beautiful, performed with the tender warmth and careful phrasing that Rutter’s writing demands, before the programme surged forward into the high energy of Cantate Domino, which had the church feeling anything but cool.
The Quintessential Ensemble accompanied Psalmfest with colour and sensitivity, adding instrumental richness that brought further depth to Rutter’s varied textures.
The three traditional Spirituals, each arranged in a distinctly different style for unaccompanied choir, were among the highlights of the evening. The audience warmed to them immediately, and by the time the choir launched into a highly energetic Battle of Jericho to close the sequence, the engagement in the church was palpable. It was the kind of performance that is difficult to sit still for: joyful, rhythmical, and entirely inspired.
James Bassi’s Harpsonnets offered a different kind of pleasure: three of Shakespeare’s sonnets set to music and accompanied by harp, giving the audience a fresh way of hearing words they thought they already knew. It was beautifully done and warmly received.
Despite the conditions, this was another excellent evening from Ely Consort, a choir that continues to combine technical accomplishment with genuine musical joy.
Review: Dominic Adams
Photos: Chris Barton & Anna Rudd
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