This unusual and fascinating programme, much of it for divided choir and six-part strings, ranges from Michael Praetorius’s extraordinary italianate setting of the Lutheran chorale ‘Wachet auf’ to Agostino Steffani’s great Stabat Mater.

Gabriel’s Message is a vivid celebration of Advent and Christmas. Songs, carols and dances from Mediaeval England evoke the sounds of winter, from harsh winds to crackling fires, from a peal of bells to a baby’s cry.

Our series of Bach’s chamber music continues, with sonatas from the great set for violin and obbligato harpsichord BWV 1014-1019.

Semele is a lively retelling of the story of Jupiter’s pursuit of the Theban princess. It is a highly dramatic and effective response to the text, in an attractive idiom mixing English and Italian elements – think Purcell crossed with Corelli. It deserves to be much better known.