Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie is not so obviously imbued with the Christianity of his later compositions, yet the composer saw the human love he celebrated within it as a reflection of divine love.

So, while setting the work in Hereford Cathedral may have felt incredibly bold, it was of a piece with Messiaen’s essential spirituality. With the Philharmonia still fresh from playing it in their City of Light series less than two months ago, this performance under the baton of an incisive Jac van Steen had an extraordinary impact. There could be no better way of asserting the continuing vibrancy of the Three Choirs festival, 300 years after it began.

Detail may have been occasionally submerged and there was a moment when a distant ambulance merged weirdly with that of the siren ondes martenot, but the lineup of vibraphone, celeste, keyed glockenspiel, piano and ondes along the front of the stage helped to bring a clear focus to the concertante elements, notably in the serenity of Jardin du Sommeil d’Amour. The contrast with the resonance and sheer tumult of Messiaen’s score was extreme: percussion sounds bouncing off the stone pillars took on a physicality that positively embraced the audience. Steven Osborne was the scintillating pianist, and Valérie Hartmann-Claverie the more than usually subtle ondiste.

Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde had been a conditioning factor in Messiaen’s approach to Turangalîla, so the Prelude and Liebestod of his opera proved the ideal opener to this concert. The Philharmonia strings seems to luxuriate in the long sweep of Van Steen’s conducting, with Alwyn Mellor the rich-toned and impassioned Isolde, finding in death the ultimate fulfilment of love.

• The Three Choirs festival runs until 1 August. Box office: 0845 652 1823.