The City of Oxford Choir has established a reputation locally for its thoughtful, themed programming and its commitment to blowing the dust off little-known choral gems by a wide range of composers, from the familiar to the not-so-familiar. So it was no surprise that they chose to stick to this winning formula at the Sheldonian Theatre last week, in a concert held to celebrate their 30th anniversary.

At first sight, this exploration of music written by Handel for the Chapel Royal seemed set to tread an uncharacteristically safe path. But, in true COC style, the spotlight was turned on some of Handel's rarely performed works, interspersed with pieces by three of his Chapel Royal contemporaries; Jeremiah Clarke, John Blow and William Croft.

Handel, of course, needs no introduction, and his Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, which brought the evening to an uplifting finale, may have been familiar to most. But it was good to hear two of his rarely-performed works, Let God Arise and I Will Magnify Thee, which the choir performed with their customary precision and fluidity. There were strong contributions, too, from the two soloists, countertenor Own Willetts and baritone Robert Davies, whose rich, soaring voices were a joy. Clarke's fame rests largely on his keyboard piece, The Prince of Denmark's March, now usually performed as a trumpet voluntary, so it was refreshing to hear a little-known work from his choral repertoire, his setting of the Latin text Quae stella orbis pulchrior. The inclusion of Clarke in the programme was particularly timely, as 2007 marks the 300th anniversary of the composer's tragically early death - he shot himself, aged 33, allegedly because of his "violent and hopeless passion for a very beautiful lady of a rank superior to his own".

As always, this was a polished and careful presentation, in which diction and intonation were exemplary throughout. Professional baroque ensemble Interplay provided spirited accompaniment, under the baton of Duncan Aspden.The City of Oxford Choir has established a reputation locally for its thoughtful, themed programming and its commitment to blowing the dust off little-known choral gems by a wide range of composers, from the familiar to the not-so-familiar. So it was no surprise that they chose to stick to this winning formula at the Sheldonian Theatre last week, in a concert held to celebrate their 30th anniversary.

At first sight, this exploration of music written by Handel for the Chapel Royal seemed set to tread an uncharacteristically safe path. But, in true COC style, the spotlight was turned on some of Handel's rarely performed works, interspersed with pieces by three of his Chapel Royal contemporaries; Jeremiah Clarke, John Blow and William Croft.

Handel, of course, needs no introduction, and his Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, which brought the evening to an uplifting finale, may have been familiar to most. But it was good to hear two of his rarely-performed works, Let God Arise and I Will Magnify Thee, which the choir performed with their customary precision and fluidity. There were strong contributions, too, from the two soloists, countertenor Own Willetts and baritone Robert Davies, whose rich, soaring voices were a joy. Clarke's fame rests largely on his keyboard piece, The Prince of Denmark's March, now usually performed as a trumpet voluntary, so it was refreshing to hear a little-known work from his choral repertoire, his setting of the Latin text Quae stella orbis pulchrior. The inclusion of Clarke in the programme was particularly timely, as 2007 marks the 300th anniversary of the composer's tragically early death - he shot himself, aged 33, allegedly because of his "violent and hopeless passion for a very beautiful lady of a rank superior to his own".

As always, this was a polished and careful presentation, in which diction and intonation were exemplary throughout. Professional baroque ensemble Interplay provided spirited accompaniment, under the baton of Duncan Aspden.