THE May series of Concerts in the West brings Pocket Sinfonia, a multi-quartet playing period and modern instruments, to Bridport Arts Centre on Friday 17th May at 11.30am, Ilminster Arts Centre that evening at 7.30pm and the Dance House at Crewkerne on Saturday 18th at 7.30pm.

Emil Duncumb, piano, Eleanor Corr, violin, Rosie Bowker, flute, and Thomas Isaac, cello, formed Pocket Sinfonia to recreate the atmosphere of 19th century living room parties, where the intimacy of chamber music performance could be applied to orchestral-scale pieces.

This is made possible via various transcriptions by composers of the 19th century, including Hummel and Clementi. Pocket Sinfonia also make their own arrangements, applying spontaneity and vigour to creations that are not merely smaller versions of great pieces, but are new and artistic in their own right. The group has performed across the UK and Europe including the Brighton Early Music Festival. They have recently recorded their debut CD,the Symphony Reimagined.

The programme for the Concerts in the West series includes Mozart’s overture to The Magic Flute, arranged by Hummel, CPE Bach’s Flute Quartet in A minor, Haydn (arr. M Clementi) Symphony 102 in B flat major, Fanny Mendelssohn’s Overture in C major and Mozart (arr. Hummel) Symphony No 41 in C major, K551, Jupiter.