CLACTON Choral Society’s Bach and Bullard Concert was a traditional Passiontide performance but much of the music was quite unfamiliar and startlingly effective.

Led by conductor Gillian Dulieu, the first half featured excerpts from Bach’s St John Passion.

Beautifully sung by the soprano Heather Atwell-Davis, tenor Daniel Joy and baritone Peter Grevatt, Bach’s arias are perhaps a little too florid for modern taste, but Daniel’s recitatives in his role as Evangelist were masterly and such a performance is a rare pleasure.

Peter Grevatt’s rich deep bass notes were a delight and Heather also rose to the occasion with confidence and skill.

Organist Stephen Smith did wonders as usual and it was lovely that some arias were ably accompanied by Francesca Dulieu on flute.

The second half contained the unfamiliar pieces, which really made the audience sit up.

Malcolm Williamson’s The Procession of Palms is exciting, rhythmical and difficult stuff, but the choir loved it, building up to a huge volume of sound.

Alan Bullard’s Wondrous Cross uses hymns much as Bach used the chorales in his day and the audience were invited to sing along with these.

Both very substantial works with great emotional impact and were wonderfully appropriate for the days before Palm Sunday.

K CHARNOCK