Bude Choral Society (BCS) once again entertained a packed St Michael’s Church, Bude, to an evening of exceptional music on Saturday 2 December.

Performing a range of less well known music the choir were once against outstanding in their interpretation of the pieces - particularly notable was the Latin pronunciation.

The choir performed the Requiem in C Minor by Michael Haydn and the Mass in D by Hummel. Organist David Robinson gave a faultless rendition of Mozart’s Fantasia in F Minor.

Haydn wrote his requiem after the death of his daughter, Aloysia, who died just before her first birthday. Officially it was written for his sponsor, Archbishop Sigmund, but it undoubtedly reflected his grief at the loss of his child. The choir and soloists rose to the challenge of fitting the words to the elaborate notation and the organist’s fingers would almost certainly have been sore the next morning after the immense contribution he made.

This included an impromptu chat to the audience whilst several members of the choir clambered amongst the rafters of the church to fix a broken organ pipe.

The choir’s balance and sensitivity was well explored during the Hummel Mass. This is a particularly inspiring piece, not often heard as the score has not been published. BCS had to hire the music from Chandos Records and the manuscripts are owned privately.

A very demanding piece for the choir with no breaks or soloists - but they were up to it. Very disciplined, excellent diction and a rendition that made one want to listen to this piece several times over.

The usual fantastic spread of refreshments provided after the concert makes the ticket prices exceptionally good value.