★★★
THE Sussex Flutes are an accomplished quintet and perform together in harmonious unison. A female quintet, each attired in black and white, their playing was silken; even when tempos perhaps unwittingly gathered pace, their discipline and musicality kept them together. They don’t just play the regular flute – in their opening Bedrich Smetana piece a bass flute (which looks like a sidelong clarinet) and a piccolo were deployed, resulting in a superbly shimmering sound.
They played three numbers from the New Music Brighton collective. The Barry Mills piece could soundtrack a Hitchcock film; eerie and threatening with quick notes and isolated, ghostly chords.
The first of Guy Richardson’s pieces sounded Eastern European with a Janacek slant, while the second was interminably long and rather more demandingly modern. The Chapel Royal audience fidgeted.
The bass flautist chose Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach instead of Johann Sebastian for her solo piece – a pity, although her tone was gratifyingly deep with a sensual quality. Our merry band of pipers sent us off with a welcome toetapper.
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