MESSIAEN’S masterpiece La Nativite du Seignur is a firm favourite of organists and audiences alike.

Cathedral sub-organist Francesca Massey, performing at Durham Cathedral’s organ recital series, gave a refined performance that took nothing for granted as she laid out the score in all its glory.

Translated as The Birth of the Saviour, the work comprises nine meditations, each portraying an aspect of Christ’s birth.

The pictorial work was vividly depicted, with Massey depicting bold impasto strokes and finer detail with equal elan.

The audience was drawn in by the meditative opening chords of The Virgin and Child, which conveyed a sense of awe around the dimly-lit manger scene.

The Shepherds' pipe carols were brilliantly played in a flurry of notes, while The Eternal Purposes was invested with a warm glow.

The Power of The Word was conveyed with overwhelming authority by thundering pedal melody and scintillating fanfare.

The Ascent of Angels in a swirl of fluttering wings was evoked in iridescent notes.

Jesus Accepts Suffering was filled with a sense of dark foreboding, while the final movement, God Among Us, was brought to a searing climax.

The event was in aid of the Michael James Music Trust, set up in memory of a former organ scholar of Durham University .