A Coffee Concert at the Orange Tree Theatre is always a delight the space is perfect for the intimacy of chamber music.

On a recent Sunday the Allegri Quartet gave one of its regular Sunday morning concerts, but this was a very special occasion when the Quartet was joined by two renowned former members of the Allegri Peter Carter leader and Bruno Schrecker cellist.

The morning began with Pal Banda relating his overnight misadventures when, after a concert in Newark, station staff directed him on to a train going in the wrong direction. He found himself in Doncaster with a bus leaving at 2.15am being the only possibility of getting back to London.

However, the bus driver refused to take Pal on board with his cello "against regulations" and Pal could not let his historic instrument travel with the cases and rucksacks. He had to take a taxi all the way back to London to be in time for the Orange Tree concert! In spite of this total lack of sleep, he played magnificently as always.

The programme consisted of three very different and astonishingly difficult pieces: Schubert's Quartettsatz, Mozart's Quintet in E-flat major and Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence.

The Schubert was played by Daniel Rowland, Rafael Todes, Dorothea Vogel and Pal Banda. For the Mozart they were joined by Peter Carter playing the viola, and for the Tchaikovsky by both Peter and Bruno, to wonderful effect.

This was not only an exhilarating occasion, but also an historic one as it was Daniel's last concert leading the Allegri. He is going to concentrate on orchestral leading work. The Orange Tree's audience is looking forward with much interest to the next Allegri Orange Tree concert with a new leader.

Robin Wade