Benjamin Britten was a true believer in the democratic role of music in society. As such, he thought it every citizen, and especially every child’s right to learn and be involved in musical performance.

To promote his ideas, he devised a number of projects aimed at involving amateurs in the community with professional musicians. Noyes Fludde, written in 1958 when Britten was an accepted pillar of the establishment, is probably the most famous of these, but Britten aficionados have a higher regard for St Nicolas, written after the post-war triumph of Peter Grimes, but at a time when the pacifist composer who had conveniently recused himself abroad during hostilities was still held in suspicion by some.

Contrary to the chirpy populism of Noyes Fludde, the protagonist of St Nicolas is a more complex figure, questioning the direction of humanity and his own place therein. A neat piece of programming then by Australian music education’s Provocateur-in-Chief Richard Gill, and a welcome chance to hear and see a fascinating work that is still a surprising rarity in our concert halls.

As it happens, Gill has had to withdraw from conducting engagements until the end of the year – he will be back, he assures us...