On Wednesday, April 8, John Taylor presented a programme called Contrasts. It opened with the Piano Concerto in B flat by Antonio Salieri played by the Philharmonia Orchestra with Pietro Spada as the soloist and conductor.

On Wednesday, April 8, John Taylor presented a programme called Contrasts. It opened with the Piano Concerto in B flat by Antonio Salieri played by the Philharmonia Orchestra with Pietro Spada as the soloist and conductor. Next came the Symphony No 1 by Carl Maria Von Weber played by the Academy of St Martins-in-the Fields conducted by Neville Marriner. Here the composer's mastery of orchestration made the symphony an interesting change from his more famous concerto and operatic works. The Italian composer Luigi Boccherini was also a virtuoso cellist. His Rococo-style Concerto for Cello No 8 revealed the capabilities of the instrument combined within a complex orchestration. It was played by the Vienna Philharmoniker with Enrico Bronzi as the soloist and conductor. The programme concluded with Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A major performed by the Bingham Quartet with David Campbell as the soloist. Sometimes called the Stadler Quintet after the clarinettist Anton Stadler it is popular due to its lyrical melodies and intricate writing for the strings. On Wednesday April Coral Collins will present a programme called All Kinds of Everything in the upper room of the United Reform Church at 7.30pm. Website www.thefrms.co.uk/lowesft.htm