In 1700 the first known collection of Scots Tunes was printed in London by the celebrated music publisher Henry Playford. Ever the savvy advertiser, Playford claimed in the title that the music contained therein was ‘Full of the Highland Humours’. Ensemble Hesperi take us on a whirlwind musical tour to celebrate the huge success of Scottish music in eighteenth-century London.

The music of the Fife-born composer and cellist James Oswald takes centre stage – a hugely talented entrepreneur, he made a name for himself in London, and was appointed Chamber Composer to George III in 1761. The programme also showcases the rarely heard music of Scottish aristocrat Thomas Erskine (“Fiddler Tam”), as well as music by Italian composers like Barsanti and Geminiani, for whom Scottish music was the height of good taste.