After a somewhat tentative, even hesitant start, this group of singers suddenly blossomed forth into a most dedicated and transparently beautiful singing of Miserere mei Deus (Gregorio Allegri).

It’s difficult to master, brave to attempt in a place like Bradford, but so rewarding when done well.

Director David Everett got it so right: a cantor with a voice that admirably suited the 16th century mode; a small, separate choir that mastered the ornamentation with chilling high note accuracy and a unified balance.

To celebrate the centenary of the birth of Benjamin Britten, Jennifer Porcas played the Six Metamor-phoses after Ovid, classics of the oboe repertoire, with a style and texture that comes from a total mastery of her instrument.

Britten’s Hymn to St Cecilia, a piece of music with a chequered history to rival that of Allegri’s setting of Miserere mei, Deus, was another finely wrought work in tribute to Britten.

Edward Bairstow’s anthem, Let all Mortal Flesh, with its rich harmonies was a piece which emphasised the essentials of choir discipline, something that Everett has certainly instilled into this group of singers.