IT TAKES a daring, committed choir to present a concert combining Renaissance and contemporary sacred music, let alone a programme of only four works, including substantial compositions from each period.

Last Friday, The Ebor Singers did so and proved their mettle, in the first concert of their 20th anniversary.

Warming up with Orlande de Lassus, a stately tempo afforded discernible polyphony and highlighted impassioned dissonances in the Chapter House’s reverberant acoustic.

The text was more intelligible in York composer Ian Colson’s mainly homophonic setting. The choir exploited the crunchy, cluster-filled harmony in vogue. Though performed with gusto and elegance, the through-composed form lacked direction.

In between, the choir’s excellent blend, full-bodied forte and pronounced phrasing were on show in Tomas Luis de Victoria’s Missa pro defunctis. Paul Gameson’s spirited conducting drove the nine parts to a pressing Libera me.

The second half’s singular item, Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles (composed 2005) is a bold, challenging work. An hour long, it comprises three movements of symphonic stature (complete with recurring motifs), constantly morphing textures, and at times complex harmony, all framed with a promenade entrance and exit.

An enormous sing, it proved a thrilling experience: rhythmic drama, consolatory introspection (“That we are here is a miracle”), and an energetic end avoiding sentimentalism. Gameson’s control of foreground and background – always maintaining clarity – was impressive.

Happy 20th anniversary, Ebor. There’ll be plenty more where this came from.

- James Whittle