Following the success of Tavistock’s Festival 2022 the final concert was a remarkable tribute to all those caught up in the terrible atrocities in Ukraine, writes festival chairman Sean Sweeney.

The North Devon Sinfonia, under the husband and wife team of conductor and soloist, Dominic and Kate Carter, thrilled 14 Ukrainian visitors and a large audience to the concert.

The evening began with the Ukrainian national anthem followed by Finlandia, written by Jean Sibelius at a time when Finland was under Russian control. The work is redolent of national pride and the rousing opening bars shook the beautiful St Eustachius Parish Church.

Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony is perhaps less well known, written when Tchaikovsky was staying with his sister and her husband in Ukraine; it has many Ukrainian folk tunes interwoven into it and the orchestra brought out all the different moods and colours of the extensive symphony.

After the interval, during which members of the audience were able to meet the Ukrainian guests, the North Devon Sinfonia performed the popular Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. The stories – the Arabian Nights – were beautifully presented by the orchestra with stunning violin solos by Kate Carter. As one person commented ‘after the weary months of lockdowns it was a treat and a tonic to have music of this quality in Tavistock again’. Plans for Tavistock Festival 2023 are already underway. Visit the website for further details.