Malvern Festival Chorus recently brought their 2016/17 Season of Feasts to a grand finale with their concert at Malvern Theatres.

And they were joined in song by members of the London-based 1885 Singers and their conductor, Alison Hunka.

A spokesman said: "A near-capacity and highly appreciative audience heard a rousing performance of Walton’s intensely vivid Belshazzar’s Feast conducted by MFC’s Director of Music, Richard Knight, accompanied by a 49-piece orchestra of the Regency Sinfonia, with professional baritone soloist Stewart Kempster.

"The work moves from the darkness of the lamenting Israelite slaves, through the great feast of the Babylonians, to the light of the freed slaves’ exuberance as they praise God for their freedom."

The spokesman added: "The first half of the concert featured Richard Knight’s own compositions, ‘Immortality’ for choir and ‘Ebb’ for 3 soloists and chamber orchestra; fine examples of descriptive words expressed by atmospheric music. The idea of ‘immortality' led into the ‘ebb and flow’ of a dying woman’s thoughts. The libretti by Robert G Ingersoll and Norman Welch were movingly expressed by the haunting music, with performances by Alexandra Tiffin, Kevin Ilsley and Stewart Kempster fusing together the lament of the young woman, the words of wisdom from her father, and the Latin mass sung by her uncle, a priest.

"Two more familiar pieces, conducted by Alison Hunka, completed the programme: Verdi’s Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves which set the scene for the concert and Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance no 5, which opened the second half."

The concert was supported by the Elmley Foundation.