It was probably the first time that Hereford Cathedral had resounded to the strains of The Mikado overture.

But the novelty could be heard as part of a coherent programme by Hereford Choral Society, showing how three British composers - Sullivan, Lambert, Tippett - responded to influences from abroad.

Sullivan's Japonaiserie can hardly be called subtle, but we know the tunes, and at least this overture made Lambert's The Rio Grande sound more substantial than it might otherwise have done.

Peter Dyke, in addition to providing some virtuoso piano playing, tellingly referred to it in the programme as "a fascinating time capsule, bursting with the enthusiasm of a 22-year-old composer for the multicultural influences suddenly available".

The chorus obviously enjoyed themselves with the jazzy rhythms, and the sopranos, as elsewhere, made a fine sound.

Tippett's A Child of Our Time is a stern test of rhythms that are jazzy with value added. If not quite everything was in place, the passion behind the notes came over powerfully and Susanna Spicer's creamy tone and Carys Lane's floated high notes were particular delights. The Negro spirituals, as always, struck to the heart.

Cathedral acoustics in general are unkind to words, and Hereford is no exception. Peter Savidge's were the clearest, largely because Tippett gives his part light accompaniments.

But bass instruments and brass need to exercise unusual, and for them possibly unwelcome, restraint. Might it be worth considering the common 19th century practice of having the choir in front and the orchestra on the tiers behind?

Roger Nichols