Ah, lovely — an evening indulging in Bach. The Oxford Bach Choir joined forces with the London Mozart Players last weekend for a wonderful selection of some of Bach’s most glorious music, in what proved to be a particularly joyous and uplifting occasion.

The cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Awake, calls the voice to us) was written for the rare feast of the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Trinity, but its imagery of Jesus as bridegroom and the soul of the believer as his bride, while ten virgins prepare for a wedding feast, make this an apt choice for Advent.

Conductor Nicholas Cleobury coaxed some sensational sounds from the choir, who delivered the choral numbers with vocal purity, expressive phrasing and technical precision. The highlight, arguably, was the sublime Zion hört die Wächter singen (Zion hears the watchmen sing), beautifully sung both by the choir and tenor soloist Daniel Norman, all appearing to relish that gloriously familiar melody. There were also solid contributions from soprano Martene Grimson and bass Derek Welton.

The Magnificat in E flat was — well, magnificent. Once again both choir and soloists (now joined by alto Wendy Dawn Thompson) rose to the occasion, performing this wonderful work with all the exuberance it deserves. There was some particularly fine work from the trumpet section, too, ensuring an exhilarating close to the first half.

The second half opened with the short motet Lobet den Herrn (Praise the Lord, all nations), sung with great reverence and joy by the choir, before moving on to the grand finale — the Christmas Oratorio Part 1, written for the first day of Christmas and recreating the Nativity in suitably celebratory style.

Once again, there were strong contributions from both choir and soloists, who sang with energy and radiance, conveying the sense of wonderment, thanksgiving and celebration with great conviction. This was a glorious evening — one that I could happily have sat through again.

The Oxford Bach Choir returns to the Sheldonian Theatre on December 17 for its annual Carol Concert.