St John the Evangelist, Oxford’s wonderful new concert venue, is nothing if not eclectic. Having just played host to 1970s prog rock legends Caravan, now it goes to the opposite end of the spectrum with an evening of music from 18th-century Europe, featuring works by Handel, Bach, Scarlatti, Buxtehude, Marais and Rameau.

Three acclaimed early music exponents — harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock, violinist Matthew Truscott and viola da gamba player Jonathan Manson — will transport the audience from England to Germany, Italy and France with a selection of solos, duets and trios that capture the essence of the baroque era.

Perhaps surprisingly, the three musicians have only played together once before, when they recorded the Trio Sonata from Bach’s Musical Offering. “We enjoyed ourselves so much we looked for an opportunity of making some music together, and this is it!” Trevor laughs.

“Having decided to play together, we had to decide on the programme. We threw in favourite pieces we wanted to do and then tried to work on getting some form to the programme, and I think we’ve come up with a very nice balance of pieces.

“We start with a trio by Buxtehude, the predecessor of Bach, for violin, viola da gamba and continuo. Then I’m going to play a solo by Scarlatti. He was born the same year as Bach, and it’s interesting to see his completely unclassical sort of style, very much influenced by the folk music of the Iberian peninsula. “Then we’ve got a Handel sonata, which is beautiful. Then we move to France and do harpsichord pieces with violin and viola da gamba, and that finishes our first half.

“In the second half we play a Bach sonata for violin and obligato harpsichord, and a beautiful piece for viola da gamba and harpsichord by Marais, who was the quintessential composer and player of viola da gamba. Then we close with more Rameau. So a European programme, a sharing of cultures.”

The musicians will play on historical instruments, which Trevor pioneered just over 40 years ago when he founded The English Concert.

“It was looked on with tremendous scepticism at the beginning,” he recalls. “Now it’s absolutely accepted as part of the mainstream.

“People got very excited by the early recordings, so there were huge sales of recordings in the late 1970s and it really took off in the 1980s. It has had a tremendous influence on the way people approach that music. It took a lot of perseverance, but it was well, well worth it.”

Now, 40 years on, Trevor is looking forward to his debut at the SJE. “I’m used to playing in the Holywell or the Sheldonian in Oxford, so this is going to be very exciting.”

Pinnock, Manson, Truscott Trio St John the Evangelist, Iffley Road, Oxford Friday, 7.30pm Tickets: ticketsoxford.com or musicat oxford. com