Work: Ave Maria

Iván Fischer conducts a mini Stravinsky residency at London's Southbank Centre, featuring six works that encompass a number of the chameleon composer's styles. 

Not for Josep Pons is the neat, crystalline programming of Oliver Knussen or similar: this sprawling Proms debut by the Catalan conductor encompassed a perplexing variety of music, never really looking like it would form much of a coherent whole.

Unless you’re actually performing it liturgically, it’s very difficult to know what to do with sacred music these days. The masses of Palestrina, the motets of Byrd, the cantatas of Bach – all seem to merit our attention today, but not for the religious reasons for which they were originally written.