TAVISTOCK has had a feast of music recently. On Friday, March 23 an audience at the Wharf was treated to the delightful Suvi Niemi, the Finnish pianist.

She speaks no English, but her communication with the audience was immediate and strong — through her smile, her rapt concentration — and of course most of all through her music.

She played a wide variety of works, most of them without any music in front of her.

Chopin, Brahms, Haydn, Schubert all came gloriously to life under her fingers.

The Finnish composer Selim Palmgren was also represented, and she ended with Adrian Vernon Fish's dark and complex St Petroc Sonata.

Then on Saturday Tavistock Parish Church hosted the Kelly Choir and Orchestra, under their musical director Andrew Wilson, for a performance of Bach's St John Passion.

This is a lyrical, at times quite operatic work, and the choir was fortunate in having three excellent soloists — Rosemary Turner, Adrian Clifford and Tony Yates.

The choir's rendering of the chorales and choruses was strong and confident, particularly with the angry nature of the crowd's shouting.

The orchestra was again on form, with some particularly fine playing from cello and flute.

Mary Mazur-Park was assured and confident with the continuo.

FELICITY BARNABY