The perfect setting for a concertFlickr: Zyllan Fotografía

If you haven’t heard of the Sunday lunchtime ‘Music in the Fitzwilliam’ concert series, you probably aren’t alone. I certainly hadn’t until last week, so when I slipped into Gallery 3 on Sunday afternoon, I didn’t really know what to expect. However, something about the atmosphere there delighted me instantly, even before I heard any music. Sitting among a horde of 16th-18th century portraits was just magical, not to mention the gorgeous plasterwork on the ceiling. Although the gallery is large enough, the gathering itself felt intimate and cosy.

The two pieces performed on Sunday were Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat major, K. 452, and Poulenc’s Sextet for Piano and Winds, Op. 100, played by Erik Azzopardi and the Reigate Wind Quartet. Formed in 2010, their ensemble has since grown in size and focuses on exploring the standard wind repertoire. The players gave a short introduction to each piece, so you needn’t worry if, like me, you aren’t familiar with the music.

The two pieces complemented each other very nicely. The Mozart Quintet was very upbeat and almost reassuring. A special shout-out to Annie Morris, whose performance on the clarinet was gently unassuming, but which I felt supported the whole piece.

However, I particularly loved the Poulenc, a February 2014 performance of which Azzopardi has called the highlight of his collaboration with the Reigate Wind Ensemble. Where the Mozart had been confident and cheery, the Poulenc was agitated and slightly uneasy, building throughout with a sense of urgency and alarm. There was no sense of safety: once you thought you knew where the piece was going, it suddenly changed direction, a delicious contrast to the Mozart which was more familiar, and invoked a greater sense of complacency in its audience.

These concerts take place every week, at the same time (13:15-14:00) – which means that you don’t have to get up too early, and have the option of using them as a welcome afternoon respite from work. It’s definitely worth having a look at the Fitzwilliam website, whose event page details every concert until April, to see if anything interests you, because there is a good deal of variety.

Next week’s concert is a performance by members of the Britten Sinfonia Academy, with works ranging from the Baroque to the 20th century. While the event is free, it is still ticketed, so if there’s something you particularly want to see, you should try and arrive a bit early. I cannot recommend this series highly enough. Perhaps for some, a 45 minute concert in Cambridge’s favourite museum isn’t quite ‘escaping the bubble’, but for me, it was a glorious escape from the outside world.