St Mary's Church, Burwell, Cambridgeshire farewell concert review by Ruth Saint.

Note For A Child

The last rays of sunshine on this warm May evening filtered through the stained glass windows of St Mary's Church, Burwell in Cambridgeshire. This was to be the last performance of Note For A Child, the ambient ensemble fronted by Susie Beattie whose groundbreaking albums 'Impossibly Beautiful' (2004) and 'Eternal Curve' (2005) brought delight to thousands of discerning music buffs. A good crowd had made their way to this quintessential, pretty church in the English countryside for this little piece of Christian music history. The crowd were warmly welcomed by the Rev Gill Smith as we sipped wine or coffee and exchanged our own stories of how Note For A Child's unique, ethereal music had touched our lives and how we will miss them.

So it was with a hint of sadness as well as happy anticipation that we settled in our pews to celebrate with Susie and her band their incredible musical and spiritual journey of the last few years. Sharing her own stories behind the songs, Susie told us that she knew of at least two babies who had been born to the music of "Impossibly Beautiful" and it was clear to see that this will be especially treasured by her. Clearly full of emotion for their last concert together the band played each song so lovingly, as if carefully singing each one before safely storing it away in our memories, to be cherished and visited again when needed.

Anna Goodman, wife of former member Daniel Goodman, was in the audience to hear the song written for her, "Sky In Your Eyes" and "Impossibly Beautiful" was naturally a favourite of the evening. The concert drew to a happy close with everyone singing "Always". It was with pleasure and sadness that I listened intently to "September Song" for one last time; a dedication to Susie's children, a lasting memory for all present and one of the most beautiful love songs to Jesus we are ever likely to hear.

A part of me wished that Note For A Child's farewell concert was before a roaring, jubilant crowd dancing and singing along loudly to all their songs. However, this intimate gathering in a beautiful English church full of God's presence was actually the perfect and most "impossibly beautiful" way to say farewell.