ONE of the pleasures in attending Durham University’s Musicon series is that it introduces you to some interesting venues off the beaten track.

That was the case here with something of a mystery tour finding this 20th century Art Deco chapel where the plain, clean lines and curved ceiling presumably account for its renowned acoustic and were presumably why it was selected for this recital.

The consort’s detailed programme notes (another Musicon speciality) suggested that sometimes they are happy to present a concert simply because the music is stunning and they can immerse themselves in the sound of the great composers.

Thus their choice of contrasting works from two composers of the Middle Ages, Guillaume de Machaut and Guillaume Dufay, which they tempered with pieces by two contemporary composers influenced by their mediaeval predecessors.

From the start it was obvious that the four singers were making the most of the chapel’s acoustic with voices singly or in any combination, sounding gloriously rich and full.

It might have been enough to bask in the sound for its own sake but with each piece introduced by a member of the Consort, and with full texts and translations in the programme, it was also an opportunity to learn about the context, particularly Machaut’s passionate Le Voir Dit and Dufay’s sacred Missa Sancti Jacobi.

Jean Tapissier’s brief Eya dulcis/Vale placens, Tarik O’Regan’s resetting of Machaut’s Douce dame jolie with its exquisite effects and sounds, and Gabriel Jackson’s often haunting On the bridge over the narrow river completed this superb demonstration of song and singing.

Peter Bevan