ST MARY Magdalene Church Choir, Launceston, surely the best church choir in the diocese, under its Musical Director, Robin Stubbs, thrilled its audience recently is a special celebration of music written for Holy Week.

The whole programme was performed to the highest standard from the well known 'Wash me throughly' by Wesley, 'Thou knowest Lord' by Purcell and the haunting 'Ave Verum Corpus' by Byrd to the challenging but revelatory 'Drop, drop, slow tears' by William Walton.

The voices of the sopranos and altos in the choir soared in the 'Stabat mater' by Pergolesi, the stunning evocation of Christ's mother contemplating her son on the cross made all the more real by being sung by female voices only.

For a full report, and a round up of the area news and sport, please see this week's edition of the 'Post'.