Sonic Tapestries, Cambridge

I returned from Cambridge at the weekend still marvelling that the thrilling new music concert I'd just heard could have been performed by students. Starting with an insightful performance of my first Piano Trio by Trio Tóla, and then a most engaging version of Thread! with projected scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry. Narrator Hugo Williamson (a tenor in real life) did a very fine job of projecting the Bayeux commentary above the busy musical texture. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a life performance of this (45-year old) piece more, warmly marshalled by CU New Music Group's conductor Darren Bloom.

An additional thrill was the venue, Churchill College Chapel, and approaching it through a very long, dark, misty path out into the fields. I wasn't previously aware of the building's existence. It's described as a "brutalist" construction from the 1960s, but inside it made for a comfortable sit, with perfect immediacy from the performers. I definitely intend to revisit during the daytime.