THE beautiful surroundings of Hellens in Much Marcle will be the setting for a first-class musical recital later this month.

Violinist Michael Bochmann, the leader of the ESO, will be joined by Michael Blackmore (piano) for the concert on Wednesday, September 20, at 7pm.

The recital is a fundraising event for the Friends of the ESO, and neither musician is being paid for their appearances.

"The Friends are very much up and running, and have been providing a lot of support for the orchestra in its problems," said Jan Bowden.

"The committee has been doing a lot of extra work, but also our membership number has been rising. I think people who had drifted away are coming back."

The evening will open with a sparkling wine reception in the main house at 7pm. The recital is at 7.45pm in the Great Barn, and is followed by a buffet supper at 9pm.

"The food will be great, the company will be great and the music will be wonderful," said Mrs Bowden.

The programme features Bach's Chaconne in D Minor from Partita No 2 and Bartok's Sonata for solo violin, as well as works by Elgar, Fiocco, Kreisler, Jobim and Wieniawski.

Michael Bochman is one of Britain's mist accomplished violinists. Apart from his work with the ESO, he has his own quartet, and in 1990 he partnered Sir Yehudi Menuhin in the Bach Double Violin Concerto.

Tickets for the recital, at £18.50 each, are available from 01684 567988. Ticket sales close on Friday, September 15, to allow numbers for catering to be confirmed.