London Baroque, founded in 1978, is one of the most experienced and renowned chamber groups in the world, with appearances all over the world and more than 30 CD recordings to its credit on the Harmonia Mundi and BIS labels.

This programme brings together some of the masterpieces of Baroque chamber music, including trio sonatas by Corelli, J.S. Bach and Handel. Our festival theme is reflected in a rare complete performance of François Couperin’s great Apothéose de Lully, an extended programmatic chamber work that explores and dramatizes the differences between the Italian style of Corelli and the French style of Lully; the work ends with a sonade portraying the two composers playing together on Mount Parnassus.

There will also be two character pieces by the virtuoso French viol player Antoine Forqueray and Johann Kuhnau’s dramatic harpsichord sonata portraying the combat between David and Goliath.

‘the performances were immaculately controlled, at all times a delight to the ear – supple, flexible playing which touched the heights of virtuosity and the depths of emotion’ – Financial Times

‘sympathetic and alert … with some finely poetic playing; these performances seem to me model’ – Gramophone