Chamber Orchestra of Europe, St John's, Smith Square, London

Apparently, symphonies often served as "frames" in 18th-century concerts – the first three movements to open with, and then the finale postponed to round off the bill. In the first programme of its current short season at St John's, Smith Square, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe took this even further, interspersing not only items by other composers between all four movements of Haydn's darkly personal Symphony No 49 "La Passione", but a series of Lenten meditations spoken by the writer and Anglican chaplain Adam Ford as well.

It could have been bitty, but continuity of mood was generated by a subtle matching of repertoire. Britten's string version of his shadowy Lachrymae: Reflections on a song of John Dowland, Op 48, was tellingly placed between the sombrely unfolding Adagio first movement of the Haydn and its fiercely driven Allegro second movement. Following this with Britten's arrangement of Purcell's Chacony in G minor made for a strongly unified first half.

The second half was complementary, with Haydn's stark Minuet preceded by the chiming resonance of Arvo Pärt's Cantus in Memorium Benjamin Britten, and Stokowski's rich string arrangement of "Dido's Lament" from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas before Haydn's bleak finale.

But still more satisfying was the sheer quality of musicianship. Founded in 1981 under the early guidance of Claudio Abbado and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe draws its 50-strong membership from up to 15 countries and has won a string of recording awards. Currently it is taking its artistic direction from its own ranks rather than from visiting stars. So the Haydn was directed from the keyboard, with a fine balance of articulation and expression, by the orchestra's English harpsichordist, Richard Egarr; its Scottish principal cello, William Conway, conducted the Britten with real sensitivity, the French principal viola, Nicolas Bone, was the eloquent soloist in the latter.

The central attraction of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe remains its string section, playing with a sweetness of intonation and exactness of ensemble that we hear all too rarely in Britain these days. But the whole orchestra – plangent oboes, rounded horns – projected a fullness and intensity, as if playing for its life. As, alas, it now is – threatened by loss of financial subsidy. Catch its remaining concerts if you can.