Maldon Festival's Artistic Director Colin Baldy has praised a 'spectacular' young pianist's performance last weekend, as this year's event draws to a close this Saturday.

Young local pianist, James Housego opened the weekend with a 'spectacular' piano recital, showing off both his abilities and the beauty of the Kawai piano on hire from Empire Pianos.

Colin said: "James' interpretation of Bach's French Suites showed this young man has a depth of musicianship that can only get better as time goes on. He'll be a name to look out for."

On Saturday lunchtime, mezzo-soprano Hilary Norman was accompanied by Christopher Weston in Fauré's song cycle, La Bonne Chanson. Colin said Hilary's voice "demonstrated how wonderful the acoustics in St Mary's Church are, as she communicated the beauty of both the verse and the melody to the audience".

Saturday evening's concert was arguably the highlight of the festival so far. Colin sang Samuel Barber's evocative setting of Matthew Arnold's poem Dover Beach before the Francis-Dehqany quartet then played the composer's famous Adagio. The Artistic Director returned to sing a group of songs by Fauré, followed by Ravel's Don Quichotte a Dulcinée, accompanied by James Davy, Chelmsford Cathedral's Director of Music. The concert finished with tenor John D'Ancona in Vaughan Williams' On Wenlock Edge. The festival has been celebrating the 150th anniversary of Vaughan Williams' birth and the influence that French music (Ravel in particular) had on him.

Colin said D'Ancona's performance "brought out both the beauty and pathos of these songs and the coupling with the songs by Ravel was a stroke of genius".

Sunday featured a recital of operatic highlights, sung by local singers, and a 'wonderfully moving' 'cello recital by young 'cellist Benjamin Carnell.

Benjamin Carnell and Ian Ray at Sunday's cello recital (Photo: Maldon Festival)

The festival reaches its climax this weekend, with a concert at 8pm on Friday given by Choral Scholars from both Chelmsford and St Edmundsbury cathedrals, a lunchtime recital (at 12 noon on Saturday) by Matthew Kelley, organ scholar at Chelmsford Cathedral, and a final concert at 7.30pm for choir, organ and orchestra.

Colin said: "One of the things which has really pleased me is the way in which audiences really love hearing the wonderful new pipe organ in St Mary's. I know I'm biased but it really is the best organ in Essex and one of the best in the east of England.

"The festival concludes this Saturday evening with a rare chance to hear Poulenc's Organ Concerto. This is one of the most thrilling pieces ever composed for organ and orchestra: perhaps the most thrilling. St Mary's organ sounds stunning in it. James Davy returns as soloist and the orchestra is composed of talented young musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The programme also includes Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs and Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine."

Saturday evening's concert will be the last with Colin Baldy in charge of the Choir of St Mary's before he moves to Italy.

Tickets for the remaining events in the Maldon Festival are available on the website, or from The Emporium in Maldon High Street. Any remaining tickets will be on sale at the door.