For the second of two dates in Dublin, conductor Harry Christophers and The Sixteen Choir and Orchestra brought the sounds of the baroque alive in the National Concert Hall with a selection of works from George Frederic Handel.

From the opening measures of the coronation anthem Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened, Christophers creates a regal sound. The opening choral section – lively and bright – gives way to the plaintive middle section, the basses solemn. David Miller, on theorbo, leads the transition to the final section Alleluia. As the choir find their full voice, Christopher too seemed to open up – becoming more animated as the chorus fills the hall.

Silete Venti’s stately opening quickly moves into the first of the arias from soloist Lucy Crowe, whose voice beautifully captures the flowing lines of Handel’s writing. Crowe takes obvious pleasure in her part, her voice having just the right colour to bring the work to life. The final aria Date Serta, tense and dramatic, is handled deftly by Crowe – as the light, laughing lines of the first section transforms into the turmoil of the middle, she brings a real intensity to the piece. Even with that, she is smiling as she trades melodies with the oboe in the Alleluia.

Settings of two psalms make up the content of the second half of the evenings concert. Nisi Dominus comes first. A work in six parts, the soloists bring a lightness of touch to Handel’s music. Tenor Jeremy Budd in particular shows a fine sense of phrasing over the almost sparse orchestration of the Vanum Est Vobis aria. Christophers brings the combined forces of choir and orchestra together for the final Gloria – he’s become ever more lively as the evening progressed.

Active as he is during the Nisi Dominus, for the evenings final selection he seems at times almost to dance. Dixit Dominus – the largest work of the programme – brings together all of what makes Handel’s music so exciting. Opening with a dramatic chorus section, it demands virtuosic performances from all parts of the ensemble. Alto Kim Porter has the first solo, a restrained movement after the drama of the first. Her voice is matched by the warm tones of cellist Joseph Crouch, the beauty of whose playing stands out, even in this impressive company. Soprano Grace Davidson takes the next solo, her restrained style suitin the tone of the Tecum Pricipatus. Dominus E Dextris sees all five soloists enter – first the sopranos, then the altos, the tenors, finally the bass – all over a pulsating figure in the strings, as Christophers seems to duck and dive about the stage.

The monumental Judacabit in Nationibus follows, the staccato choral parts sharp and distinct. The last solo section, a duet between sopranos Grace Davidson and Charlotte Mobbs sees the chorus take their seats as the two trade the melody between them. Slow and measured, it provides a moment of serenity before the final Gloria. In a work filled with great moments – from the dramatic force of the choral writing to the more delicately phrased solo parts – the Gloria brings it all together in a thrilling finale. Harry Christophers and the Sixteen brought a real sense of occasion to their first visit to the NCH, with music that sounded as vital now as it ever has.