MUSIC lovers are looking forward to their annual treat when the Boyan Ensemble of Kiev returns to Malvern Priory tomorrow (Saturday).

On their first visit to Britain in 1992, the ensemble was hailed as a musical sensation. Its programme of chants from the Eastern orthodox church, all sung a cappella, breathed mystery, incense and the flicker of candles. Audiences were caught up in the poignant drama of a religion that had fought its way through tyranny and oppression. The sound was stunning and the effect was mesmerising.

The second half of the programme changes gear and, dressed in richly embroidered shirts, the choir presents an intoxicating kaleidoscope of Ukrainian folk songs, some soulful, some humorous, some heroic, reflecting the traditions of this culturally diverse land - there is swagger, bravado, heroism, nostalgia and a sense of the limitless Ukrainian horizons one recalls from Eisenstein films.

The Ensemble's members are drawn from Ukraine's top professional male choir: the State Male Capella Revutsky based in Kiev. A single female voice breaks the exclusive maleness, the amazing Valentina Ivanenko, and adds the unique element that distinguishes this acclaimed choir.

It is hoped that International opera star Vassily Savenko will make a guest appearance; he lives in Malvern, and sings with the ensemble whenever he's free. "There's just a chance that he may be called to France to fulfil a recording engagement," said Margarete Rolle, the choir's UK representative, "but we're keeping fingers crossed."

With roots tracing back to the legendary Scythian horsemen and traders of the Crimea, Ukraine has a treasured Orthodox Christian heritage. More than one thousand years of invasion, religious persecution, civil war, revolution and oppression have not extinguished the enduring Christian faith and rich cultural heritage of this land which is so powerfully reflected in the choral music performed by the Boyan Ensemble.

Tickets (£14, £12, £10) are available from the Malvern Bookshop, Abbey Road, on 01684 575915.