Set in the hinterland of northern NSW, a short drive from Byron Bay, the Bangalow Music Festival is now in its 16th year and is a welcome and popular addition to the cultural calendar of the region. In total nine concerts were presented over the weekend, with some intriguing and entertaining repertoire, as well as solid chamber music fare.

Echoes of the Past offered three tantalising works that were very well executed by the Southern Cross Soloists, alongside the Bangalow Festival String Quartet and Meraki Quartet.  Benjamin Britten’s Temporal Variations was a bold choice but a marvelous showcase for Artistic Director Tania Frazer, her oboe solo as evocative as it was lustrous and skillfully played. Pianist Alex Raineri played two pieces from Rachmaninov’s Morceaux de fantaisie thoughtfully, alongside intelligent accompaniment by clarinet, cello and viola. A highlight was the string sextet’s interpretation and delivery of Tchaikovsky’s exciting Souvenir de Florence beautifully presented by all the musicians, with an exceptional first violin of Kristian Winther, under the precise and rhythmic surety of conductor, Christopher Dragon.

The final concert of the programme, A Point In Time, similarly delivered with a theme of three works that mark great musical achievements. A polished, finely crafted...