Twenty-four young musicians from the Junior Royal Academy of Music gave us a real treat in the Upper Tribune with their ‘Through the Ages’ programme of well-known, and not so well-known, pieces from Bach to John Williams. Six different ensembles took part: Recorder, String, Wind Quintet, Wind Trio, Brass and Clarinets/Voice. The highlight was perhaps the first String Quartet piece “The Faustian Bargain”, actually composed by one of the young musicians performing. The Recorder Ensemble covered the centuries with very contrasting early and modern pieces, and the two Wind Ensembles gave us excellent renditions of compositions by Nielson and Malcolm Arnold. The Brass Quartet gave us four pieces spanning five centuries, and the String Quartet an exciting piece by Janacek. The Clarinets and Voice concluded the concert with a marvellously smoky performance of Summertime.

These chamber concerts enable young musicians to perform in front of a live audience in a truly historic setting – there can really be no better use of Chiswick House, and Burlington himself would surely approve.