THE TALENTED young singers of Renaissance, directed by Ben Rowarth, made a welcome return to Durham on Saturday night, with a concert in St Cuthbert's Chapel as part of Ushaw College's new programme of music and events.

The stunning surroundings and generous acoustic of St Cuthbert's chapel made the perfect setting for the ensemble's cool, pure sound, and for the music they sang - a mixture of Renaissance and modern works, built around John Sheppard's masterpiece Media Vita.

The distilled purity of the nine voices, letting the music work its magic without any fuss, right from the opening line, made this performance devastatingly powerful.

The concert began with Thou wast O Man, a bleak reflection on mortality set to the famous hymn tune by Thomas Tallis and sung with a chilling menace. Suscipe quaeso, also by Tallis, pulsated with urgent pleading, Drop, drop slow tears by Orlando Gibbons was soothing and poignant.

A beautiful hymn by the Icelandic composer Thorkell Sigurbjornsson, Heyr, himna smiaur floated outside of time, with the soft sibilant sounds of the text coming across very effectively. John Tavener's As one who has slept moved the programme from darkness to light, and was sung with great control, rising into brightness over an impressively sustained bass drone.

Joining everything together was the sound of Roman Catholic plainsong, soaring through the building from the voice of Tom Rowarth, hidden from view in the ante-chapel, a nice touch that helped to set all this glorious music in its original context.

Jane Shuttleworth