The East Coast Chamber Orchestra, which neatly becomes ECCO, are a group of 18 string musicians with no conductor who have come together to create an chamber orchestra which is often described as being founded on ‘democratic principals’.As this group of exciting young people with roots that evidently range from every corner of the planet began their first piece, Felix Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia No. 10 in B minor, the impact of the approach was immediately clear. Each performer must take ownership of the interpretation of the music, and so, in a similar way to smaller groups, like The Eroica Trio, who performed at a previous Bermuda Festival, the passion is more personal, and its dynamic expression results in an intricate and multilayered performance. This is the case whether they are performing something quite traditional, such as the Mendelssohn, or on their second night’s performance, Shostakovich’s Sinfonia Op. 110 inspired by Second World War Dresden and possibly as an epitaph for himself a darkly descriptive and emotional work that was delivered with all the feeling that the composer could have wished for.The Mendelssohn, in two movements, was written during the Romantic period, and is much in keeping with it. From the opening bars of the Adagio, the performers worked extremely closely with one another, and indeed, that is one of the fascinating aspects of a concert such as this.Audience members can observe the interplay between the performers, and see as well the heightened role of the lead musicians of each section. Incidentally, the position of leader democratically changed depending on the piece.ECCO is often described as producing a sound that is organic in nature, and certainly their sound does evolve naturally, growing and unfurling in response to the environment created by the music and the performers.The by-turn lilting and then exciting Allegro provided the opportunity for the string players to explore this natural quality of Mendelssohn’s work, and they did that gorgeously very textural in quality, it was an especially rich and multi-layered performance. Perhaps the principal piece of the evening was Alberto Ginastera’s Concerto Per Corde (Concerto for Strings), composed in Berlin in 1965.This is an intriguing and riveting work of contemporary music, exploring a full range of sound and effects.Ginastera is one of the most important South American composers, and in five movements, this remarkable individual insists that the musicians performing his piece explore the outer reaches achievable by their instrument, while no doubt stretching their technical skills. Here, the organic approach seems exactly right as the sense of it is one of deep exploration for both the musicians and the audience.Anthony Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings in E major is a very popular piece of music, and in the aftermath of the Ginastera, demonstrated ECCO’s broad range. This elegant and delicate work may be viewed as a musical description of the lives of those members of the drawing room society of the day. From the idealised pastoral view of the first movement, to the colour and delights of the ballroom described by the waltz in the tempo di valse, to the third, where Dvorak ‘abandons the drawing room’ which is not my phrase, but does describe it perfectly, to the finale, the allegro vivace concluding in a stunning crescendo, the sense of this elegant, comfortable existence is brought to the fore by the natural interplay of the musicians, who are able to breathe real life into the lilting, happy cadences of this work.It was a wonderful evening of music; there was the pure enjoyment of the Dvorak, the challenge and fascination of the Ginastera and the pleasure of the Mendelssohn, all brought to truly animated life, and with an energy and an intricacy that is the hallmark of ECCO.