John Phillips reviews this month’s concert from the Burnham Music Group.

On May 13, The Burnham Music Group gave a concert that was also a farewell to their conductor and trainer for a decade, Terry Saunders. It was entitled “Songs of Sea and Sky” and was devoted, in the main, to music by Elgar, Parry, and Stanford.

In the first half the most impressive piece was the haunting” Middle Watch” from Stanford’s “Songs of the Fleet”, made especially so by the BMG chorus; this being followed by Terry’s witty performance of the “Little Admiral”.

However, it was my impression that both Terry and the guest mezzo soprano, Kathryn Hannah, gave of their best in the second half; Kathryn with her impassioned performance of the last two of Elgar’s “Sea Pictures”, which she introduced herself, and Terry’s elegiac rendition of Sanderson’s “Moorings”, to which he also contributed a most sensitive accompaniment. The concert closed with two Elgar songs to words by Kipling – “The Sweepers”, featuring both Terry and the chorus, and “Submarines”.

As for the BMG chorus, they were as good as I have ever heard throughout, and especially so in their performance of Parry’s “Songs of Farewell”. Steve Pritchard was excellent as the main accompanist and continuo, on both organ and piano.