The couple of Keswick Choral Society with the Cantate Children's Choir from Carlisle Cathedral at St John's Church in Keswick on Saturday was an unqualified success, bringing together the experience and excellent sound of a well established adult choir and the youthful exuberance of young voices.

Directed by Ian Hare of Keswick Choral Society and Edward Taylor of Cantate, the first half of the choral society's spring concert consisted of Andrew Carter’s Benedicite (11 movements using verses taken from the Benedicite Canticle in the Book of Common Prayer).

The modern idiom and rhythms were well handled by both choirs who took turns to sing. As the pictures in music unfolded, organist John Cooper-Green used his instrument to create the atmosphere of each movement. This was particular effective in Whales and Waters, the heaviness of the music representing the movement of large underwater creatures, Ice and Snow, where the music almost seemed to shiver with tinkling icicles, and Butterflies and Moths, in which the clear bright voices of Cantate fluttered convincingly.

Thunder and Lightning was cleverly imagined by the composer and one was aware of the storm dying away as the music ended. Spirits and Souls was a difficult one for tuning, but the Keswick choir rose to the challenge beautifully and the choral sound was never compromised. The children took on Grannies and Grandads with great gusto. Edward Taylor is to be congratulated on the careful training that has clearly gone into the making of a fine choir of disciplined and enthusiastic young singers.

Franck’s Panis Angelicus and Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine followed the interval. These were convincingly sung, although a little more reverentially hushed sound might have enhanced the Franck (the church acoustics may make this difficult).

Lili Boulanger, a fraught personality if ever there was one, was represented by her version of Psalm 24, which one would expect to be fraught. Again the choir did a great job of representing the composer’s sentiments - and singing most competently in French.

The lighter side of the concert came with Cantate singing John

Rutter’s All Things Bright and Beautiful and then excelling themselves with a quite beautiful rendering of Alan Mencken’s Go the Distance from Hercules. What a Wonderful World was more difficult and although the children clearly enjoyed Rhythm of Life (not an easy one to sing and they certainly managed the words well) the sound ebbed and flowed a bit at times.

Keswick’s choir returned for a medley of Gilbert and Sullivan which gave the ladies (Comes a Train of Little Ladies) and gentlemen (With Cat-Like Tread) a chance to shine. Finally we had Dance a Cachucha, delivered by the whole choir with infectious enthusiasm, clearly appreciated by the large audience.

This was a most enjoyable evening in all respects and it is to be hoped that the two choirs will get together again in the future, as I think all present would vote it a great success.

This was Cilla Grant's last time playing for the choir with which she has worked for many years, and the choir wished her all the best with a large bouquet of flowers.