CHRISTOPHER SMITH St Peter Mancroft, Norwich

CHRISTOPHER SMITH

St Peter Mancroft, Norwich

The quality of the performances at Sunday afternoon's inaugural concert by the Norwich Baroque Orchestra was highlighted by the fact that three Vivaldi concertos did not seem too many.

Perhaps the best was the third, in A Major. Under its leader Keith Hobday the 10-piece orchestra brought confident pace and stylish assurance to the first movement. Geoff Davidson sang three of Handel's best known Arias, while an oboe concerto by Albinoni offered Jeremy Foster attractive opportunities. Lucy Curnow came to the fore in Bach's A Minor concerto.

By way of a finale the two soloists combined in Bach's D Minor concerto for oboe and violin to provide highly developed music to delight .