As dusk fell, a lone bat flitted against the cathedral walls and the bells of another church rode faintly on the air.

Then the show, perhaps best described as an audio-visual concert, began.

Dame Evelyn, on African marimba, began with a gentle but hauntingly beautiful melody from her position within the far cloister.

Beneath a gazebo on the grass, Maria started to paint on her lightbox and, as she did so, her deft marks appeared on the wall of the Chapter House above the percussionist’s head.

Sometimes you could see Maria’s hands, at other times her flying hair, as she worked furiously, painting with brushes and hands and then wiping with rag or sponge. As the mood of the music changed, so did the images.

For her third piece, Prim, a snare drum solo by Askell Masson, Dame Evelyn stepped out of the cloister and whipped up the sound of a small marching regiment which then died into silence. Maria responded accordingly.

Durham Cathedral
21 April 2014