Under the expert direction of Steve Bingham, Ely Sinfonia gave a superb performance of English music at Ely Cathedral on Saturday 27 September 2025. The programme featured Peterloo Overture by Malcolm Arnold, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Symphony No. 1 by Edward Elgar.
This was a demanding concert for the orchestra, but one they delivered with confidence and precision. Under Steve Bingham’s baton, the strong, warm resonance of the strings filled the Cathedral, with expressive phrasing that held the audience spellbound.
Arnold’s Peterloo Overture vividly told the story of the battle for democracy, its dramatic contrasts depicting both the horror of the 1819 massacre and the triumph of eventual reform. The music’s thunderous drums and tense dissonances captured the chaos and tragedy of that day, balanced by passages of calm and resolution. It was a powerful reminder of why Arnold, who also composed the scores for The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, is so widely admired for his storytelling through music.
Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis provided a moment of pure transcendence. Its ancient harmonies, set within a lush, spacious soundscape, were woven together by the interplay between the full string orchestra, a smaller ‘echo’ ensemble, and a string quartet. The result was ethereal and deeply moving, with the orchestra perfectly capturing the composer’s trademark sense of serenity and timeless beauty.
Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 rounded off the evening in grand style. Complex and emotionally rich, the work’s shifting moods — from playfulness and rhythmic vitality to moments of immense grandeur — were handled with poise and energy. The orchestra’s performance was both powerful and tender, leaving the audience with Elgar’s stirring melodies resonating long after the final note.
The concert was enhanced by excellent programme notes written by Jeremy Harmer, which added further depth to the evening’s experience.
Ely Sinfonia’s next major concert, Heroism, Harmony and Triumph, featuring works by Beethoven and Walton, will take place at Ely Cathedral on Saturday 2 May 2026 at 7.30pm
