Nocturnalia Ensemble

Nocturnalia Ensemble perform 17th-century Playford folk tunes, a trio sonata by Gottfried Finger and a modern premiere of a William Viner violin sonata.

Part of the York Early Music Christmas Festival, this lunchtime concert takes its title from Thomas D'Urfey's 1698 song collection Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy. The programme pairs 17th-century folk tunes preserved by John Playford with a rarely heard trio sonata by Gottfried Finger and the modern premiere of a violin sonata by William Viner, unheard since the early 18th century. Works by Henry Purcell, Matthew Locke and Nicola Matteis complete a programme exploring the dialogue between art music and dance traditions. The concert runs for approximately an hour.