St Andrew's Presbyterian Church was full to capacity last Saturday evening for the Bermuda School of Music's recital "Playing Hoopes".

The audience comprised mainly young music students of the BSM and their parents. The featured artists were all siblings, members of the Hoopes family, making this recital something of a family affair.

Anna, Alexandra and Chad opened their recital with Vivaldi's Concerto in F Major for Three Violins and Piano. They immediately announced the special qualities of their playing; immaculate accuracy of pitch, warmth of tone and rhythmic energy, not to mention sensitivity and intelligence in their interpretation. They exhibited a mutual understanding and cohesiveness that perhaps was only to be expected, given the fact of their relatedness, talent and preparation. Never the less it was extremely impressive to witness. Ms Olga Zeidel was their accompanist.

The Vivaldi was followed by Chad's solo set. It is his love for and skill at basketball that prompted the pun in concert's title and in truth this young virtuoso brought impressive strength and athleticism to his playing. His sense of humour, panache and maturity of tone infused Kreisler's 'Syncopation'. His gestures were huge like a dramatic actor's and helped to communicate the essence of the music he was playing.

In the Paganini that followed, Caprice No.9 in E major, marked Allegretto his double stopping in playing the chords was clean and balanced.

But it was in Kreisler's Preludium and Allegro that he unveiled a pyrotechnical display, especially in the Allegro; and this from an 11-year-old who has been playing the violin for only seven years.

Thirteen-year-old Alexandra followed with three selections, by F. Ries, W.A. Mozart and W. Kroll, a Twentieth Century composer like Kreisler. La Capricciosa, as the title suggest, is meant to be the evocation of a certain female personality. It is poetic and demanding; not only of technique, but of an extra-musical sense of intelligence and irony. Alexandra brought it off with aplomb, wispy whistling glissandos and all, inhabiting the role, musically, of 'La Capricciosa'. In the Mozart her handling of the cadenza was with out flaw, and her dramatic and rhythmic senses again surfaced in the rollicking 'Banjo and Fiddle'.

After a short intermission the programme resumed with Anna the eldest at 15 taking her turn. She played S. Gardner's 'From The Canebreak' a piece evocative of The American South. Again warmth of tone. especially in the lower strings characterized her playing , (a feature she shared with her younger siblings), and a highly developed elegiac sense. Two dances by Kreisler, marked 'in the style of Francoeur' followed; Siciliene and Rigaudon, played with warmth and grace, the rhythm nicely articulated and balanced.

In the 'Obertos', by Winiewski, again the playing was exquisitely lyrical.

None of the youngster was afraid to play with emotion and deep feeling, a truly refreshing thing to hear.

They returned as ensemble for Dvorak's 'Terzetto for Two Violins and Viola, the latter instrument played by Alexandra. Can there my many composers with so immediately recognisable a 'sound'? The Hoopes captured it wonderfully in the Allegro, and especially in the Scherzo, marked 'Vivace'.

A charming feature of the young performers playing was their modesty, and sense of being just kids. They are, and wonderfully gifted ones. When they came back for an encore they played a popular tango and romped through it with evident delight which they communicated the their audience.

It really was a quite special evening. Nick Curror and Olga Zeidel of the Bermuda School of Music shared the honours accompanying the young players, which they did with thorough professionalism. They were ably assisted by Sarah Denby whose duty it was to keep the pages turning. David France, also of the Bermuda School of Music was the Master of Ceremonies.

No doubt the impressions created by these young artists will live long in the memories of the young audience members, inspiring them to who knows what heights.