A very high standard was maintained throughout, with a good balance of familiarity and novelty.

The performance of three of Telemanns Paris Quartets, in the Neill Street Uniting Church, was probably the highlight of the festival. Alison Catenach (flute), Lizzie Welsh (violin), Edwina Cordingly (cello) and Ann Murphy (harpsichord) played with refined elegance, passion and a deep understanding of the French style, where form and content complement each other.

The precision of the ensemble work was beyond reproach as the music moved through each of the dance-inspired movements.

Cellists Josephine Vains and Henry Say closed the festival, with an intriguing Spanish influenced program in St. Patricks cathedral. Sonatas for two cellos by Boccherini featured fine ensemble work but it was the passionate dance based pieces, with Vains playing solo, that really raised the excitement level.

The Suite for solo cello by Cassado, a dramatic and grand composition, was counterpointed by the finale where both musicians performed the sublime Song of the Birds, in the arrangement by the great Spanish cellist Pablo Casals.

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