ROBERT Hollingworth has been stunning audiences for 30 years with his vocal consort I Fagiolini in shows that are sometimes outré but always invigorating.

His latest wheeze, by way of opening the festival, was a peripatetic Monteverdi Vespers. At various points in the evening, the audience were encouraged to leave their seats and wander within and around the circle of performers at the head of the nave.

It may sound gimmicky, but it was actually exhilarating. The Vespers consist of five psalms, each with an introductory plainsong and a postlude motet (usually featuring soloists), followed by a hymn and a Magnificat. There are brief prayers before and after.

Hollingworth used I Fagiolini – here six voices – in the solo roles, with his graduate choir from the University of York, The 24, shouldering the choral burden admirably, the whole accompanied by an octet of strings and two organs and the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble.

Standing within this splendid array, one could hear detail as never before in the Minster’s treacherous acoustic, in particular the vocal hi-jinks of the soloists. Matthew Long was the captivating tenor in Nigra Sum and Greg Skidmore’s baritone made several notable contributions later. Chortling sackbuts and whirling cornetts came into their own in the Sonata sopra Sancta Maria, a largely instrumental interlude.

This format offers an adventurous way forward. It breaks down any sense of Us and Them between audience and performers, helping each to feed off the other’s emotions. Above all, it relaxes everyone, pulverising starchiness and formality. Let’s have more of it.