Brilliant clarinetist Chris Gradwell will be in Honiton this week. He appears with the Isca Ensemble, under the popular maestro Roger Hendy, at St Paul s Church, at 7.30pm, on Saturday, October 10.

Brilliant clarinetist Chris Gradwell will be in Honiton this week.

He appears with the Isca Ensemble, under the popular maestro Roger Hendy, at St Paul's Church, at 7.30pm, on Saturday, October 10.

Well known, both in the classical and jazz fields, Chris has performed with most of the leading London orchestras and jazz musicians of recent years. With his own Little Big Band, he specialises in the music of the '20s to the '60s of last century in music of such greats as Sid Phillips, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Harry Gold and others.

But in Saturday's concert it will be purely as a classical musician that he will be heard, playing Gerald Finzi's attractive Clarinet Concerto. Despite an Italian sounding name, Finzi was one of the leading English composers of last century, writing music of the pastoral style, typical of Vaughan Williams. This piece is a particularly appropriate choice as the concert is being held to raise funds for the Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF) and Gerald Finzi died from this cancer of the blood.

It may not be Christmas yet, but the rest of the programme will include Corelli's well known Christmas Concerto and a Divertimento by Mozart. The name Dag Wiren may not be very familiar to concert goers, but the music of his Serenade will be when this also appears in the programme, for it became so when used as the signature tune for the television programme Monitor.

The other piece to be played will be Mahler's arrangement of the beautiful slow movement of Schubert's Death and the Maiden string quartet. Rarely heard, this will provide an opportunity to savour the combined genius of two of the greatest composers.

ELF supports the work of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in caring for patients with leukaemia, and other blood disorders, throughout East and North Devon.

Tickets, �8 centre nave and �6 side aisles, all unreserved, are still available and may be obtained from A Dimond & Co, Stationers, High St, Honiton (opposite the Church), or at the door.

Tel: (01404) 42052.