THINGS are looking up at the Three Choirs Festival.

Worcester now boasts a snazzy full-colour programme book, lively refreshment tents on College Green and a sense of moving with the times.

Musically too, in his third festival as artistic director, Worcester's Adrian Lucas has made changes. Particularly gratifying is the return of the CBSO as resident orchestra.

But his decision to use the City of Birmingham Choir for Rachman-inov's The Bells, instead of the Festival Chorus may not have pleased everyone.

And reviewers are no longer given good seats! Sitting at the side, with the whole choir and most of the orchestra out of sight, made it very difficult to form a balanced assessment of the three concerts I attended.

Even so, some good things did emerge, notably the effulgent and articulate James Gilchrist, tenor soloist on Saturday in Finzi's ceremonial ode For St Cecilia, an odd piece, but one with some lovely moments. From what I could tell it was also well sung by the Festival Chorus.

It's a brave conductor who programmes Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2 simply to let us hear the final Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), a nine-section cantata that lasts considerably longer than the three preceding instrumental movements.

Despite Lucas's chiselled reading of the score, and the CBSO's committed playing, it failed to impress as a work.

Well-matched soprano soloists Rachel Nicholls and Gillian Webster joined James Gilchrist (who sounded even better singing in German) and a richly toned and attentive Festival Chorus made the most of Mendelssohn's worthy choral writing.

Sunday's Russian evening highlighted the terrific CBSO players, who gave a crisply brilliant account of Shostakovich's Festival Overture and took Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky to thrilling heights of virtuosity.

For the City of Birmingham Choir it was a thankless task, as Prokofiev's slow moving declamatory choral style is so unrewarding to sing.

Mezzo-soprano Frances McCafferty sounded just as Russian as the soloists imported for The Bells.

Next evening she was joined by Jennifer Smith, Andrew Kennedy and James Rutherford for Elgar's The Light of Life.

Hereford's Geraint Bowen was at the helm, giving a beautifully fashioned reading, full of warmly sensitive and often glorious singing, which made this first oratorio by Elgar sound much better than it actually is.

Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, however, is an undoubted masterpiece.

Sung by Andrew Kennedy with lyrical elegance, played hauntingly by horn soloist David Pyatt and the CBSO's mellifluous strings, and conducted with quiet precision by Geraint Bowen, poor Elgar seemed by comparison old hat.

The Three Choirs Festival ends this Sunday. For tickets contact the box office on 01905 610538 or visit www.3choirs.org

DAVID HART