Nicholas Cleobury's broad grin as he strode to the rostrum spoke volumes; he was about to conduct a very tasty selection of Mozart's orchestral and choral masterpieces, and he was relishing the prospect. The choir, too, managed to convey the impression that this was an evening they had long been waiting for. Clearly, we were in for a treat. Mozart's Linz Symphony proved a tasty appetiser, served up with warmth and precision by the London Mozart Players. At times the performance seemed to lack a bit of sparkle, but it flowed smoothly and elegantly, with a palpable appreciation of the composer's mood and the impish humour that breaks through in the final movement.

Next up was Mozart's Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, delivered strongly and proficiently by this excellent choir. Mozart has featured surprisingly little in the Oxford Bach Choir's history, the programme notes told us, so perhaps this was an attempt to redress the balance. And how well they did it; nobody could be in any doubt that these singers know how to cope with Mozart's technical, harmonic and emotional demands. There was classy work, too, from the four soloists, my personal highlight being soprano Elizabeth Atherton's sweet-toned delivery of the dreamy Laudate Dominum. Wendy Dawn Thompson's mezzo sounded a little muted by comparison, but tenor Mark Milhofer and baritone Viktor Rud were a joy.

After the interval came Davidde penitente, much of which Mozart recycled from his C Minor Mass. There was a slight tendency for the choir to sound a little strident in the more dramatic moments, which was a pity; with more than 150 voices in the choir, there is little need for them to force the sound. What did impress, though, was the fact that so many voices could sing piano so effectively - a truly wonderful noise. Once again, the soloists impressed, with some lovely duet work from Atherton and Thompson, and a glorious solo from Milhofer.