With sudden illness, rapidly overcome, it has to be said, overtaking their featured soprano, Asamisimasa, a Nowegian group, had to make rapid programme changes to something that was already looking like chipping away certain frontiers.

They still trampled down any remaining fences and managed to produce one of the funniest soloists I've seen in a long time from whom came not one single note.

Arsenal, by Matthew Schlomowitz, featured the rubber face of Trond Reinholdtsen, grimacing, winking, tongue out and in, eyebrows twitching and contorting to music. Clever and funny.

Their programme contained three world premieres, slightly excessive, one might think, even for Corsham and abundant humour. Notes produced from an inflated balloon, an Eric Morecambe paper cup piece, and an ingenious costings sheet for composing a new work.

From such minutiae as the cost of a cup of tea to major air fares, it worked out the cost per musical note of a particular composition. The implication at the end throwing doubt on its financial viability.

Reg Burnard

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