THE Arioso Singers, a Swansea-based small choir of children and teenagers directed by Penny Ryan charmed the Glenalla Hall audience on February 9 with their youthful exuberance.

Their programme, an eclectic mixture of short pieces ranging from Bach to Bernstein, Vivaldi to Karl Jenkins — a composer who has a special relationship with this choir — ensured the appreciation of all but the most severely discerning of listeners.

Showbiz items were prominent, from Les Miserables to Chess, and solo items were offered by individuals from the group, including a most promising young tenor called Reuben Nicholas.

In fact he and a half-dozen young lads struggled to provide the bottom lines to balance an otherwise top-heavy choral sound. Older and more nostalgic people present might perhaps reflect that such a satisfying evening could have been presented by the youth of any number of Llanelli chapels in their heyday — albeit with a different repertoire. But alas things have changed.

A J HEWARD REES