"A performance full of martial vigour"

Image (c) Craig Fuller

First published 27 February 2026

“Indomitable period ensemble” Arcangelo has launched the 2026 London Handel Festival to resounding acclaim, captivating audiences and critics with its Principal Ensemble residency programme topped by an “outstanding” account of Saul.

The success of last year’s maiden residency saw the 2026 opening concert relocated to the larger auditorium of Smith Square Hall, where a capacity audience welcomed Arcangelo and Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen for Handel’s dramatic 1739 oratorio Saul HWV 53. Led by Christopher Purves in his signature incarnation of the title role, the cast also featured Arcangelo debuts by counter-tenor Hugh Cutting and tenors Linard Vrielink and Liam Bonthrone, with returning artists Emőke Baráth, Jessica Cale, Neal Davies and Matthew Long. The concert drew blanket critical coverage and a full slate of five and four-star reviews:

“Directing from the harpsichord, [Jonathan Cohen] kept a firm grip on the oratorio’s broad dramatic sweep. His choir sang with frightening intensity, but there was also a subtle ebb and flow, gentle passages registering with full weight alongside mighty climaxes. Trombones and trumpets had a satisfyingly mournful rasp, woodwinds chattered mellifluously, even the recorders, often reviled, sounded mellow. Celestial harp and chiming carillon added unusual, not to say exotic touches while rifle-shot timpani shook the floor.” - Evening Standard

“[Jonathan Cohen] led his own indomitable period ensemble, Arcangelo, and a solid phalanx of a chorus in a performance full of martial vigour” - The Times

“Arcangelo (…) seized on the music’s operatic intensity. Its founder Jonathan Cohen is one of the most expressive of Handelians with a keen ear for instrumental colour and a nose for drama. His pacing was urgent, though never excessively so, phrasing and dynamics were elegant and elastic, and the playing was outstanding” - The Guardian

“Arcangelo’s high-definition performance showed that Saul needs no concept, and no costumes, to thrive.”- The Artsdesk

“Praise for Wednesday’s outstanding account must go to early-music ensemble Arcangelo, the Festival’s Principal Orchestra in Residence. From the brisk, sprightly opening, we knew that Jonathan Cohen (directing from the harpsichord) had got the measure of the work… and had transmitted it flawlessly to the orchestra.” -musicOMH

Handel’s own church of St George’s Hanover Square hosted the residency chamber recital on 21 February, starring special guest soloist Rachel Podger in her first Arcangelo collaboration and presenting violin masterpieces by Handel, Bach and Telemann. Soprano Hilary Cronin, a soloist on Arcangelo’s 2026 BBC Music Magazine Award-nominated recording of Handel’s ‘Chandos’ Anthems, joined the ensemble for a rare concert performance of Handel’s Neun Deutsche Arien (Nine German Arias).

A wealth of neglected repertoire was brilliantly restored to life in the concluding residency recital, presented by the Arcangelo New Ensemblists and Tom Foster at Foundling Museum on 22 February. Inspired by the performer-composers who played in Handel’s original orchestras, the recital showcased the next-generation talents of Arcangelo’s youthful instrumental quintet across works by Nicola Haym, Giuseppe Sammartini, Michael Festing, Pietro Castrucci and William Cobbett, concluding with Handel’s Trio Sonata in G major HWV 399.

Audiences can look forward to much more Handel from Arcangelo at the London Handel Festival, with an agreed extension of the Principal Residency to 2029 announced at the opening concert by LHF Festival Director Greg Batsleer.

Arcangelo Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen said:

“I am very happy to have had the chance to offer audiences such a spread of Handel’s music with Arcangelo at this year’s London Handel Festival. Such great music uplifts and inspires and in this modern-day environment with the challenges of putting larger-scale projects such as Saul before the public, this concert in particular was a real triumph. I offer many thanks to everyone who has made the residency and the entirety of this year’s London Handel Festival possible, and I’m looking forward to the years ahead with great anticipation.”

The 2026 London Handel Festival continues until 3 April 2026. For remaining tickets to selected events and full listings, please visit london-handel-festival.com