The festival opens 15 May at St. John's, Smith Square with The English Concert and soprano Carolyn Sampson in Airs & Arias by Handel & Rameau, featuring excerpts from Rameau's masterpiece Naïs.

The grand final concert 21 May is at Westminster Abbey where St James's Baroque and The Choir of Westminster Abbey under James O'Donnell present Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks and Utrecht Te Deum & Jubilate.

Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent make their long awaited festival debut 16 May with two Bach Oratorios and Cantata no.173, and 17 May you can hear Handel’s early Italian opera Rodrigo semi-staged by brilliant Italian group, Ensemble San Felice under their director Federico Bardazzi.

Ensemble Pierre Robert offers delicious rarities by Lully and de Brossard from the Court of Louis XIV, while Argentinian soprano Maria Cristina Kiehr and Concerto Soave summon devotional meditations on peace and conflict.

More troubled times are evoked in a warlike programme by up-and-coming countertenor Iestyn Davies and the exciting new Wallfisch Band under its founder and director Elizabeth Wallfisch.

Full details of programmes, venues and how to book can be found at www.lufthansafestival.org.uk Box office 020 7222 1061 or at www.sjss.org.uk

‘... one of Britain’s best music festivals.’ The Times