Review: SPLENDOUR & DEVOTION AT LONDON HANDEL FESTIVAL, St George’s Hanover Square

The 2026 edition of the London Handel Festival, which kicked off last week, is running under the theme of From Heavenly Harmony. The five-week event aims to “enrich lives through Handel’s music”, with concerts and recitals taking place in a variety of venues across London - last night saw The English Concert tackle five pieces from Handel and JS Bach, all in the realms of ‘splendour’ and ‘devotion’.

In the glorious setting of St George’s Church (fittingly just around the corner from the house Handel and Jimi Hendrix shared across the centuries), the acclaimed ensemble explored three of Handel’s so-called Chandos Anthems and two of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, alternating between the composers throughout the evening.

The Chandos Anthems were written while Handel was composer in residence for the First Duke of Chandos, James Brydges and were designed for use in Anglican church services, all taking their texts from one or more psalms. The concert began with “My song shall be alway”, which fits the words of psalm 89 to an often lively melody, which then develops in surprising ways once the vocalists take their turn. The first solo from the soprano and the tenor’s aria provided particularly memorable moments.

“As pants the hart” takes its words from psalm 42 and, though written as one of the Chandos Anthems, was composed for Queen Anne’s Chapel Royal; it is believed to be one of the first of the collection to be written. Oboe and string are especially prominent in this piece, the former performed beautifully by Clara Espinosa Encinas. “Chandos Jubilate”, although published as the first of the Chandos Anthems, rounded off the evening in triumphant style - its text is derived from psalm 100, and is also known by the title “O be joyful in the lord”. The final “amen” sung by the chorus felt like Handel’s equivalent of displaying “The End” as a film draws to a close.

The two Bach pieces performed were part of the Brandenburg Concertos, a set of six instrumental works dedicated to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt; they are widely regarded as some of the best compositions from the Baroque era. Concerto No. 2 in F major contains a devilishly difficult trumpet solo, which famously inspired Paul McCartney to include something similar in The Beatles’ Penny Lane, and was performed with aplomb by Mark Bennett.

Concerto No. 5 in D major, on the other hand, provides a workout for the harpsichordist; Bach is said to have written it to show off his brand new harpsichord, and likely performed the part himself on several occasions. Last night the duties fell to conductor Kristian Bezuidenhout, who set to his task with great enthusiasm and stamina - and was rewarded with the appreciation of the audience gathered to listen to these great works of the era.

I was surprised to discover that the London Handel Festival has been running for almost 50 years, as during my time in London (amounting to slightly over a decade) this is the first edition that I’ve been made aware of. Whilst it obviously attracts enough patrons to ensure its continued existence, it is a shame that it isn’t far more widely advertised - there must be plenty of people like me out there, who would be very interested in these events but completely unaware they’re taking place.

A basic programme or leaflet with the running order and a list of participants would be a helpful addition to any attendee, as it helps non-experts to follow the evening in a less obtrusive way than sneaking a glance at a phone screen, and also shows appreciation for the excellent musicians and singers who are bringing the wonderful music to life. In terms of pricing, it must be a difficult job for the organisers to work out how good the value of each seat will be at each event, but my suggestion at this particular venue would be to avoid the balcony; unless you’re happy with a heavily restricted view in the cheap seats, I would imagine downstairs will provide a better experience for your money.

On the whole, however, this specific event was a great insight into the festival at large - both splendour and devotion were catered to in many varying ways in these pieces of music, the choices of which were enhanced by the diligence and expertise of The English Concert. The London Handel Festival is the capital’s best-kept classical music secret.

Splendour & Devotion was at St George’s, Hanover Square on 25 February, as part of the London Handel Festival (running until 3 April)