Mitchell Hall, Marischal College Star Rating: ***** ALAN COOPER SINGING their entire set from memory, the Christophorus-Jugendkammerchor covered seven languages including Japanese and Hungarian - a real tongue twister of a piece by Kodaly. Their opening motet by Hans Leo Hassler rang as clear as a bell, though more treacherous melodic lines as in Knut Nystedt's Peace I Leave With You tested the choir's ability to keep a firm hold on intonation. Still, their performance was something of a tour de force, and included a glowing Cantique de Jean Racine.

Mitchell Hall, Marischal College
Star Rating: *****

ALAN COOPER

SINGING their entire set from memory, the Christophorus-Jugendkammerchor covered seven languages including Japanese and Hungarian - a real tongue twister of a piece by Kodaly. Their opening motet by Hans Leo Hassler rang as clear as a bell, though more treacherous melodic lines as in Knut Nystedt's Peace I Leave With You tested the choir's ability to keep a firm hold on intonation. Still, their performance was something of a tour de force, and included a glowing Cantique de Jean Racine.

The Boys' Choir from Minsk did not make this year's Festival, so the NYCoS Edinburgh Area Choir came to the rescue with a part repeat of Monday's excellent performance.

Suddenly, up out of Africa like a firestorm came Umdumo Wesizwe from Zimbabwe. Only eight men, but with enough charisma and energy to light up a continent, they took the Mitchell Hall by storm with their gloriously unfettered singing.

At last came the festival's special guests, Laudibus. They are from a different musical dimension altogether. The 15 singers selected from the National Youth Choir of Great Britain are surely the finest young voices in the country today, and make any music sound like a dream. Sancte Deus by Thomas Tallis and Robert Pearsall's Lay a Garland were both meltingly beautiful, while the vocal acrobatics on Giles Swayne's The Tiglet left me amazed and breathless. John Hearne's wonderfully atmospheric piece The Seagull transported us out of the Mitchell Hall and away to the misty machair.

All that, and Africa again for their encore. Amazing.