Southport String Ensemble's professor and conductor, Ms Sarah Marks, has outdone herself this last year and polished what was already an outstanding group of performers. «Swamp Thang», the rondo by Richard Meyer, was one of the stand-out pieces, as it was performed with just the right amount of pizzazz and spice. «Return to Deadman's Cove» by the great Peter Martin, the opening number, was another piece that was flawlessly performed; it set up a swashbuckling atmosphere that was later empowered by a rendition of «Drunken Sailor», where the ad-hoc Southport Choir of Christ Church joined in.
The rest of the pieces followed the familiar folksy pattern established last year; we had another Danish String Quartet recorded piece in «The Water Lily», and traditional Irish, Hungarian and Finnish tunes. We also had another Vivaldi piece: «Summer», a season that today mocks us.