Lachrymae - Music for Strings. Purcell, Britten, Part, Walton, Vaughan Williams, Tippett.

Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Viola - Nicholas Bne.

n Warner Classics CD 2564 60190-2

THIS CD, one of two recordings, was recorded live in a series of concerts presented by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe during Easter of 2003.

The orchestra was founded in 1981 and has a membership of 50 musicians from 15 countries in its pool of talent.

They perform together mainly in continental Europe, but have done concerts in both the USA and Japan.

The strings are played with great sensitivity and have emotional depth as befits the title of the recording.

There is a choice of Purcell, either in the style of Britten or Stokowski, Walton, Vaughan Williams and Britten himself.

Although the subject matter is sad and doleful, the playing is not over-sentimental and the precise bowing makes for a crisp and respectful rendition of the pieces.

This is the sort of music heard when a great statesman or famous person dies - it is reminiscent of cathedrals and black armbands.

The subject matter apart, this is beautifully executed sombre music for the most part - although Williams' Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis retains the composer's links to the countryside, so all is not doom and gloom.

Personally, I shall favour something a little more celebratory when fianally, I shuffle off this mortal coil.