Chiara Banchini’s name is indelibly associated with that of Ensemble 415, the baroque group she founded more than two decades ago. Since then 415 has made itself a solid reputation for integrity in its interpretations of a repertory which, too often, has been considered facile and light-weight, even futile.

A first meeting with Chiara Banchini is a surprise. In her photographs, the violinist and director of 415 appears austere, even severe; when you see her in concert, what comes through is above all the concentration.

But when you meet her in person, her thoughtfulness, her sense of humour and her charm supersede all that.

The sheer niceness is evident even in the language which she uses with her musicians. Courtesy permeates the atmosphere of the rehearsal room, as though the exquisite manners of an 18th-century court had come down through the centuries along with the music.

Chiara Banchini’s conversation with her musicians is more “Perhaps we could try” or “How should we?” than any peremptory injunctions of “Now, do it this way”. All of that in a mélange of French and Italian, lightly spiced with Spanish.