The 10 musicians of the Picardy Players give a rare glimpse into life in Kyivan Rus’ in the Middle Ages, through music inspired by fascinating personal letters written on strips of birch bark that were unearthed in recent decades. The programme uses an otherworldly 16th-century musical language from Renaissance Italy with 31 notes to the octave and period instruments to bridge the gap historically between the protagonists’ world and our own. New compositions by James Batty draw inspiration from Slavic folk music from Ukraine and Russia to tell the characters’ stories, and are enriched with visual and tactile elements. The programme is framed by microtonal gems written 400 years apart by Nicola Vicentino and György Ligeti.