Money-savvy Bach, and cash-strapped Scarlatti: they may not have had much in common financially, but they had musical links, as this concert set out to prove. Other links in the musical chain were Vivaldi, Corelli, Bach, Geminiani, and a rarity: Charles Avison, who was born in Newcastle on Tyne in 1709, and studied in London with Geminiani.

An obvious link between the composers was that three of them were represented by Concerti Grossi, each scored for string orchestra, and each featuring trademark contrasts between slow and fast movements. Corelli’s op 6, no 1 came first, and rapidly got into its stride with an energetic and furious Allegro, followed by a dreamy Largo that could easily have been penned by Vivaldi. The string sound, gutsy where appropriate, was most effectively backed by Christopher Bucknall’s harpsichord and Magnus Andersson’s theorbo.

There were appropriate contrasts, too, in the next linked piece, Avison’s Concerto Grosso after Scarlatti. Avison must have had some top-notch musicians under his command if the virtuoso Con Furia and Vivacemente movements were originally played with the clarity and speed given to them here. After a piece inspired by Scarlatti we heard the man himself – his Concerto Grosso no 3, which has a jolly opening Allegro, then a more contemplative Largo, then jumps back to another Allegro. Scarlatti can sound austere, but he seemed most approachable in this performance.

Two concertos for solo instruments were included in the mix, Bach’s Violin Concerto in E major, with Johnannes Pramsohler as a discreet soloist who sometimes retired a little too much into the background, and Vivaldi’s Cello Concerto in G, despatched with confidence by Tomasz Pokrzywinski.

Drawing all the musical strands together in conclusion was Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso after Corelli. The Players seemed particularly at home in this piece, and their enthusiasm conveyed itself to the audience very effectively.