For the past nine years the Artistic Director has been the highly regarded British composer Thomas Adès, who has continued the Britten tradition of both composing and performing at the festival. Not surprisingly, the Aldeburgh Festival continues to focus on contemporary music, but there are also some attractive early music events to lure visitors to Snape this year.

The innovative I Fagiolini is an early visitor (14 June), with a programme of sacred music by Byrd, including the magnificent Mass for Four Voices, to be given within a liturgical framework of chant. This event will take place in Aldeburgh Church at 11 am. The promotion of young musicians has always played an important role at the festival and 14 June also sees the first of two open rehearsals by the Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra (the second is on the 15th) under directors Margaret Faultless (violin) and Steven Devine (harpsichord), with the oboist Katharina Arfken.

The results will be heard in the programme to be given on 17 June, when works by Handel, Albinoni, Charpentier, Vivaldi and Bach will be performed. June 18 finds Paul McCreesh and Gabrieli forces at Snape to perform a programme devoted to St. Cecilia and including Purcell’s ode Hail Bright Cecilia and, appropriately, Britten’s beautiful Hymn to St. Cecilia. On 21 June Blythburgh Church is the venue for a performance of Machaut’s famous Messe de Notre Dame given by one of the most renowned medieval ensembles, Ensemble Organum, under their director Marcel Pérès.

This performance will be preceded by a free lecture given by Tess Knighton. The final pieces of the early music component fit into place on 24 June, when Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey will play all six Bach Cello Suites spread across two concerts, the first at 6:30 (18:30), the second timed for 9:00 (21:00). Full details of the Aldeburgh Festival, which of course includes many other events, can be found at www.aldeburgh.co.uk