ANY song recital entitled I Hate Music! But I Like to Sing, is bound to invite curiosity surely a contradiction in terms?

No merely a quotation from the last song of the final event of the 2004 Arnside and Milnthorpe Music Festival, a recital given in St Thomas's Church, Milnthorpe, by the soprano Tracie Penwarden and her accompanist Glyn Hopkins.

A disappointingly small audience gathered for an evening characterised by a thoughtfully constructed programme, lovely singing, sensitive piano accompaniment and efficient page-turning.

English, Italian and German songs spanning three centuries some naughty, some amorous, some operatic, some spine-chillingly spooky, but all beautifully melodious comprised the first half. To them, Tracie brought a musically flowing line, seamless breathing, convincing phrasing, a sure and tasteful sense of style and an exhibition in all registers of the clarity and purity of her voice.

An engaging performance of Berlioz's Les Nuits d't provided the cornerstone for the second half. Tracie and Glyn together produced throughout a suitably darkly-coloured mood and both fully exploited the many tender, pathetic, grief-ridden moments as well as the occasional unclouded phrases.

The concluding group of lighter songs contrasted effectively with all those that had preceded them. The music' hated in Bernstein's song is to do with the airs and graces, the dressing-up and the posing that is so often associated with music. There was a marked absence of all that and the audience loved the singing!

Brian Paynes Generous spirit ARNSIDE Choral Society presented a well-balanced programme as part of the second Arnside and Milnthorpe Music Festival.

Although an ambitious choice for a small choir, Haydn's Heiligmesse received a well-prepared and enthusiastic performance. Glyn Hopkins, an incisive director, evoked careful phrasing and good dynamic contrast throughout the work, skilfully guiding his singers through the few uneasy transitions in the complex score.

The soloists, Tracie Penwarden (soprano) Janet Hoyle (contralto) Wynford Evans (tenor) and Brian Lancaster (bass), made an outstanding ensemble, singing with warmth and beauty of tone, especially in the Benedictus, the emotional high-point of the work. In the unusually triumphant setting of the Dona Nobis Pacem, choir and soloists and the ever-supportive organist, Michael English, united to bring the work to an affirmative conclusion.

A hesitant opening to the chorus Gratias Agimus Tibi, from Bach's Mass in B minor, was soon resolved and the choir sang with both confident understanding of the choral writing and good diction.

Janet Hoyle followed with an emotional reading of the aria If my tears flow unavailing, from Bach's St Matthew Passion, a performance enhanced by the disciplined organ accompaniment.

Faure's Requiem was conducted by Wynford Evans. The choir responded to his sympathetic direction and climaxes were sung with conviction, contrasting dramatically with the serenity which dominates the work.

The solos in the Offertorium and Libera Me were well-projected and sung with fluency and dignity by Brian Lancaster. Central to the Requiem is the Pie Jesu in which Tracie Penwarden demonstrated sustained beauty of line, conveying the sense of stillness inherent in the aria.

Enjoyed by audience and participants alike, the concert showed the generosity of spirit that community music-making engenders.