Instrument: Theorbo

The lack of a curtain has forced the director to employ a new inventiveness, if only with partially success.

A mix of arias from Handel's first opera with music from Renaissance and Baroque Spain with an accomplished group of performers provides a rich and satisfying experience.

Hespèrion XXI dazzle us with virtuosity as they celebrate musical Europe in the heart of Westminster.

Thanks to the dedicated work of scholars and practitioners in the field, in the last decade, audiences in London have become relatively familiar with the music of female composers in the Baroque period.

Conceptually, the programme of descending and rising fourths offered a real treat: in practice, the musicians' skill was in danger of being lost as they attempted to recover from their opening gimmickry.

A talented ensemble proves pays testament to the heritage, vitality and continuing inventiveness of Finnish folk music. 

Sublime orchestral playing and stellar soloists don't quite make up for a lacklustre performance by the Academy's choir in Monteverdi's moving work