It is perhaps fortunate that this recording was made over a year ago; a major sponsor was the Northern Rock Foundation, whose future might now be perceived as being somewhat more precarious than that of the average musician. One can only hope that the good work being done by the Avison Ensemble in promoting neglected British composers of the Baroque period is not imperilled by cataclysmic events in the financial world. The Avison’s members (seven on this recording) are established period instrument performers, led by the experienced and talented violinist Pavlo Beznosiuk. Their recordings to date have focused on the music of Newcastle-born Charles Avison. However, here they give us the six Opus 1 cello concertos of John Garth, organist, cellist and native of County Durham and one of Durham’s foremost musicians and concert organisers in the mid-eighteenth century – a time when the town enjoyed a vibrant and varied musical culture. Richard Tunnicliffe is the virtuosic soloist. The music is attractive and interesting for the way it sits at a crossroads: moving away from the old-fashioned concerto grosso style of Corelli and Geminiani, influenced by Avison, JC Bach and CPE Bach, but also pointing towards the works of Haydn and Mozart. Garth wrote these concertos specifically as a vehicle for demonstrating his abilities as a cellist in his own concerts; they are all in the 3-movement fast-slow-fast format, using a variety of time signatures for the final movements. This is well-crafted, enjoyable music, not revolutionary, but worth hearing none-the-less. The two discs were recorded in the Picture Gallery at Paxton House near Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the sound is rich and full-bodied.

Reviewed by Anne McAlister