The festival is opened by the English Concert with Carolyn Sampson (soprano), conducted by Laurence Cummings, in a programme that begins with the concerto grosso from Handel’s Alexander’s Feast, and continues by way of a selection of his arias and an organ concerto, to finish with extracts from Rameau’s Naïs.

The Collegium Vocale Gent under Philippe Herreweghe follow this with a programme including Bach’s Easter and Ascension oratorios, separated by the Pentecost cantata Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut, BWV 173.

Viol consort Concordia, with Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), present a programme of viol consorts and songs by the brilliantly original William Lawes, whose life was cut short in the English Civil War, and Henry Purcell.

Handel’s Rodrigo was written in Italy in 1707, and it seems fitting for that to be performed by the Italian Ensemble San Felice under Federico Bardazzi.

Robert Hollingworth and I Fagiolini produce a festival edition for Radio 3’s “Discovering Music” series, offering a foray into Monteverdi’s emotionally charged scena Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. Later on the same day, Iestyn Davies (counter-tenor) and Elizabeth Wallfisch (violin and director) with the Wallfisch Band offer a programme built round Biber’s Battalia, with works by Schmelzer, J. C. Bach and Vivaldi, ending, peacefully, with Biber’s Passacaglia.

Ensemble Pierre Robert, under Frédéric Desenclos bring two French celebrations of peace from the time of Louis XIV, by Lully and Brossard on the same day as Paolo Pandolfo (viola da gamba) and Labyrinto with Céline Scheen visit the colour life and world of Tobias Hume.
Two very different experiences of peace come through motets by Monteverdi, Legrenzi and Mazzochi from Concerto Soave with Maria Christina Kiehr (soprano), and Music Ad Renum’s musical visit to the court of Frederick the Great.

The festival ends with a very English celebration of peace: the choir of Westminster Abbey with St James’s Baroque under James O’Donnell in a jubilant selection of Blow anthems, followed by Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks and Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate.
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