Ryedale District Council supports the Ryedale Festival.

Gazette & Herald, 1st August 2007

This was to be an unusual evening and could perhaps be viewed with some misgivings. Could three concerts be held simultaneously at three venues within Castle Howard and synchronised to repeat three times, so that all could be visited?

In the Long Gallery, the Cygnus Piano Trio was excellent and, in particular, played the Ravel Trio with considerable panache and authority. The smaller grouping meant that all could see and hear well, not the case on many occasions in the past.

In the Chapel, Da Chiesa created an almost other-worldly experience. The combination of the beautiful surroundings and the group’s pure singing of 16th and 17th century church music was breathtaking and over far too soon.

Moving forward a century, the Bizzaries Baroque Ensemble provided yet another outstanding experience. Set in the splendour of the Great Hall their playing was exceptional and the unadvertised arrival of a pair of dancers in authentic costumes, with meticulously researched dances of the period, gave the finishing touch to an enormously rewarding evening.

The verdict? The organisation of the three concerts was superb. The marshalling of troops of concert-goers, complete with umbrellas, cushions and back-friends was smooth and trouble free and by the end of the evening any doubts had been thoroughly put to rest.

Overall, the prevailing view is that this has been one of the best events of the Festival and it is to be hoped that the approach can be repeated in future years.