The climax of Confluences, an epic four-year creation from writer Vikram Seth and composer Alec Roth, received its London premiere at the Chelsea Arts Festival last night. The project was a co‑commission also involving the Lichfield and Salisbury festivals.

Fusing the Indian, Chinese and European traditions explored in the previous three instalments, this final part takes as its title the Seven Elements of those traditions, ie earth, air, fire, water, wood, metal and space.

This fourth part itself consists of three sections: a sequence of three songs, followed by a similar sequence for violin and piano, each piece evoking an element, with a setting of Seth’s The Hermit on the Ice to end.

Roth’s grateful, mellifluous settings of Seth’s resonant texts were exquisitely delivered by James Gilchrist, with Rustem Hayroudinoff an eloquent accompanist. Hayroudinoff was also the partner for the stylish Philippe Honoré in the violin pieces.

This was only part of a marathon evening, however. Before a note of the new work was heard, we had 80 minutes of Schubert, beginning with a violin sonata whose inclusion was not unequivocally justified by the moderately engaging performance of Honoré and Hayroudinoff.

But with Gilchrist so animated in both mien and diction, so spine-tinglingly expressive in a group of judiciously chosen lieder, who could complain?

Chelsea Arts Festival until 24 June (0845 890 2435, www.chelseaartsfestival.org ).