One of the first things you notice about Stile Antico is that they have no conductor. This might cause a less competent ensemble to come unstuck, but these 12 singers maintain a musical cohesiveness with admirable efficiency, as they superbly demonstrated in the glorious intimacy of Merton College Chapel. The programme, Tune Thy Musicke To Thy Hart, draws from their latest recording, and explores devotional music from the 15th to 17th centuries written not for the church but for domestic performance. The familiar names of Byrd, Tallis, Dowland and Morley rub shoulders with lesser-known names such as John Browne, Robert Ramsey and Martin Peerson, to give a fascinating peek into domestic music-making of Tudor and Jacobean England.

From the outset, the group enthralled with their artistry and sensibility, and the kind of purity of tone you would normally associate with choirboys. John Browne’s Jesu, mercy made a stunning opener; a penitential piece of epic length, it gave the singers the opportunity to establish their authority and musicality early on, stamping their spare, unfussy but very effective style on a repertoire they have made their own. Dynamics were meticulously observed, and phrasing beautifully sculpted.

Introductions and readings put each song into historical context, and is characteristic of the scholarly approach these singers have to their work. Interestingly, much of the repertoire for this concert was discovered through the work of the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music (www.diamm.ac.uk). Although the music is largely unfamiliar, Stile Antico’s fresh, youthful virtuosity ensured that Monday night’s audience was quickly captivated, making this an exciting and profoundly stirring experience. This concert was broadcast live for BBC Radio 3, so if you missed it you can still catch it on www.bbc.co.uk/radio3. The CD was released on the Harmonia Mundi label, cat.no. SACD HMU807554, and is available through the group’s website, www.stileantico.co.uk.