I Musicanti, St John's Smith Square

In the early 1980s double bass player Leon Bosch left his native South Africa as a former political prisoner to study music in Manchester. Today, his connection with his land is both a musical and a physical one – he runs ultra marathons. But between sprints he teaches in South African colleges, performs all over the country, and takes the compositions of his countrymen to a wider audience.

In a series of three concerts at St John’s Smith Square, he mixes music new to British audiences with favourite pieces from the classical repertoire.

First up (8 Jan) is the world premiere of Matthijs Van Dijk’s promising-sounding But All I Wanna Do Is Dance, a joyous antidote to the bruising politics of 2016, which is played with Schubert’s Trout Quintet and Mozart’s Piano Quintet in E flat.

In the second concert (5 Mar), guitar virtuoso Craig Ogden joins I Musicanti for a spirited Terzetto by Paganini, Schubert’s arrangement for flute, viola, cello and guitar of a trio by the Bohemian guitarist Wenzel Matiegka, and Mozart's serene D major flute quartet. The new work is by Werner Bosch (no relation), whom Leon Bosch commissioned after seeing a single other piece of his.

Finally (28 May), Mozart’s much-loved Clarinet Quintet in A and the wondrous Schubert Octet in F is joined by the world premiere of David Earl’s Duo for Viola and Double Bass. David Earl came to London from Cape Town in the 1970s as a pianist, but has since established himself as a highly respected composer. His Duo for Viola and Double Bass is the second piece that Leon has commissioned for this unusual pairing of instruments.

With some of the most loved pieces in the chamber repertoire and refreshing new music, this is a series to seek out.