St Christopher’s Church in Haslemere was filled to the brim on Saturday, January 10, as music lovers gathered for a special New Year concert from the unaccompanied vocal group Apollo 5. But it was extra chairs that were needed, as a capacity audience enjoyed a stellar programme from the five performers.

Opening with the motet Vigilate by William Byrd, that great Tudor survivor, the group followed with two exquisite Renaissance madrigals, intricate like filigree work. The style then moved forward to the present, with new works composed for Apollo 5, particularly Anam, the title track of their most recent album, in which the solo tenor sings a sublime Gaelic blessing against a background of otherworldly chords.

Named not after the rocket, but after the ancient Greek god of music, the five performers emerged as characters as they sang and talked enthusiastically about their music. As part of the Voces 8 Foundation, they have inspired thousands of young people through their imaginative outreach programme.

Some 40 people shared this inspiration, joining Apollo 5's earlier workshop session in Haslemere that same afternoon. Everyone there learned how to do a professional warm-up, with hilarious clapping games to stretch mind and larynx. In no time, they became a choir singing tunes in exhilarating counterpoint.

The second half of the concert programme was more relaxed, with songs from the shows, like Elton John and Bernie Taupin's affectionate Your Song, while These Foolish Things received the doo-wah treatment. This underlined the group's versatility and great sound. A lovely arrangement of Auld Lang Syne hung in the air as an encore. There may be vocal groups technically more sophisticated than Apollo 5, but few can engage so warmly and dynamically with their delighted audience.

Review by Martin Robson