IT’S not often we get the chance to hear the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, in these parts.

Those of us who were students too many years ago would concur that this choir was the epitome of all that was great in choral singing. For we could scamper from King’s to the arch-rivals at St John’s and hear the most sublime repertoire in a beautifully cavernous acoustic. And then along came the likes of The Sixteen and The Tallis Scholars with their razor-sharp interpretation and King’s days were numbered.

Or were they?

Here they were, in Chester Cathedral, not the most forgiving acoustic.

The Tallis Scholars opened Chester Summer Music and survived massively. What would King’s contribute?

In the end, a lot. Chester is a dry acoustic, totally unforgiving.

Their performance of the Fauré Requiem was, as it might be expected, exemplary. But what of the first half?

Their interpretation of Tye and Byrd was quite without fault.

But, then, why did the programme include a “piece” by Bach (which turned out to be the C minor Fantasia and Fugue) without any reference to the performer. That was rather a shame.

Then there was the quite wonderful “Ascribe unto the Lord” by SS Wesley.

That was a quite exquisite performance. Expert diction. A real sense of drama.

Add to that a spirited performance of Stanford’s double choir Coelos Ascendit Hodie and the entire packed house felt that they’d had their money’s worth.

They were right.

Glyn Mon Hughes