The concert at St. John in Bedwardine was well presented and visually pleasing, Volante Strings is a versatile string orchestra which played music from the Baroque Period through to the twentieth century with ease and a discerning grasp of style. The orchestra is all the more pleasing to watch for its dependence not on a conductor but on the musical skills of its fifteen players to listen and respond together to the ebb and flow of the music. Under the leadership of Kathy Holmes but with input from all players, the ensemble is tight and the tuning impeccable.
The concert started with Vivaldi’s  String Concerto in D minor; this music is bread and butter to Volante Strings and it flies along with a fine string tone and well graded terraced dynamics. Grieg’s Holberg Suite was complementary and started with some crisp playing in the Prelude followed by the nicely balanced lush harmonies of the sarabande. The orchestra captured the fluent lines of the Air and the Rigaudon presented some excellent contrasts between sections. It was good to hear some music from Avison, a lesser- known northern contemporary of Handel and we heard some stylish playing from Graham Longfils and Josie Bedford-Davies as soloists.
Arensky’s Variations featured much attention to fine detail in its phrasing, articulation and dynamics; particularly enjoyable was the beautiful and expansive cello solo played under an intricate accompaniment.
The group is indeed lucky to have several arrangers/composers and Graham Gunter’s arrangements of some Shostakovich piano preludes were a nice addition to the programme. Bob Thomas’ Worcester Brawls Remixt is an excellent mixture of dances past and present, and was played with verve and relish providing an exciting and witty conclusion to a very enjoyable summer afternoon of music.
Rob Porter  June 2011