THE Dinas Powys Music Festival opened on the weekend of April 23-24 with a rousing concert by the Dinas Powys Orchestra conducted by Antony Tarlton with soloist Ben Tarlton on 'cello.

The Hebrides Overture by Mendelssohn, taken at a brisk tempo, made an enjoyable start to the concert and the Festival. The conductor, Antony Tarlton maintained a flowing tempo throughout.

The rolling wave movement and the power of the sea were reflected well in Mr Tarlton’s interpretation of this well known overture; what a pleasure to listen to.

This was followed by Schumann's 'Cello Concerto in A Minor. The soloist, a local young man, Ben Tarlton, not yet 21, played this rarely heard and difficult concerto with skill and panache.

Ben has also played the Elgar 'Cello Concerto with this orchestra when he was just 14. His technique surpassed the requirements for the Schumann concerto making even the trickiest of passages flow smoothly and dramatically.

The sound he generated was rich and sumptuous making his entire presentation a joy to hear. This extremely talented young man has already reached great heights but such is his skill and musicianship I am convinced he has many more platforms within his grasp.

Mozart's 41st Symphony ‘Jupiter’ came next. This well known symphony was an inspired choice to round off the programme.

It gave the conductor, Antony Tarlton a good platform to show off his skill at getting an orchestra of mainly amateur players to perform cohesively and imaginatively.

The tempo was surprisingly brisk and well glued together. Mr Tarlton presented a well balanced orchestra, each section's solo turn being musically produced.

I was particularly impressed by the 'sympatico' playing of the timpanist Michael Hearty who clearly understands the dynamics of orchestral playing.

Altogether this was a most pleasurable concert and very well attended. Dinas Powys is very lucky to have this venue and diverse content of the festival.

Jo Vos