Durham Cathedral resounded to the strains of Russian music when the Orchestra North East presented its latest concert at the venue. Performing under the baton of Neil Thomson, the orchestra opened with a polished reading of Anatoly Liadov's Eight Russian Folk Songs for Orchestra. The piece featured a wonderful Religious Chant intoned by a plaintive cor anglais, while the Legend of the Birds chirruped happily away. The whole was rounded off with a rumbustiuous Village Dance. Trumpeter Anthony Thompson, who started his musical training at the Salvation Army and is now one of the busiest exponents of the instrument, was brought in to front Alexander Arutiunian’s Concerto for Trumpet in A-flat major. Thompson’s soaring lines were unerring, while his rapid-fire tonguing was meticulously delivered. The highlight of his performance was an ethereal bluesy passage played with warm affection. The evening was rounded off with Shostakovich’s Symphony No 10; an enormous work tailor made for the cavernous acoustic of the cathedral. Written in the year of Stalin’s death, the symphony is packed with an outpouring of human emotion and passion. Thomson dished out the climactic crescendos in meaty chunks, while the sensitive moments were sensitively modulated. The fiendishly difficult woodwind passages were finely wrought, with strong individual contributions. The stirring finale echoed around the nave long after Thomson lowered his baton. A finely-hone outfit, the orchestra stands as testament to the wealth of musical talent in the region.