The Early Music Show - London Handel Festival

Lucie Skeaping presents a profile of the London Handel Festival, founded over thirty years ago to foreground the music of the composer and his contemporaries in his adopted city. Founded by Denys Darlow in 1978 the London Handel Festival has contributed to a Handel revival in the UK, specialising in the performance of lesser-known works of the period. In 1981 the London Handel Orchestra and London Handel Singers made their debut at the Festival. Laurence Cummings took over as Musical Director from Denys Darlow in 2002. In this programme Lucie talks to several of key protogonists at the festival, including Laurence Cummings and Adrian Butterworth, soprano Dame Emma Kirkby, and Festival Director Catherine Hodgson. The music for the programme was recorded at this year's festival and includes vocal and instrumental music by Handel and Thomas Arne. PLAYLIST: HANDEL: Overture "Alexander's Feast" London Handel Players directed by Adrian Butterfield HANDEL: "War, He Sung" from "Alexander's Feast" Emma Kirkby (soprano) London Handel Players directed by Adrian Butterfield THOMAS ARNE: Trio in B minor for flute, violin and continuo Op3 No 6 Rachel Brown (flute) Adrian Butterfield (violin) Laurence Cummings (harpsichord) Katherine Sharman (cello) THOMAS ARNE: "Where The Bee Sucks" Emma Kirkby (soprano) London Handel Players directed by Adrian Butterfield HANDEL: "Capricious Man, In Humour Lost" from "Saul" Elinor Rolfe Johnson (soprano) London Handel Players directed by Adrian Butterfield HANDEL: Trio in D major for 2 violins and continuo Op5 No 2 Rachel Brown (flute) Adrian Butterfield (violin) Laurence Cummings (harpsichord) Katherine Sharman (cello) HANDEL: "Gentle Morpheus" from "Alceste" (2nd setting) Emma Kirkby (soprano) London Handel Players directed by Adrian Butterfield.