In a world gone mad, can great music help us see the light?

Sir Peter Paul Rubens - The Judgement of Solomon

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's season at the Southbank Centre has the title The Edge of Reason, and presents a season inspired by the Enlightenment. The season opens with Handel's oratorio Solomon with Iestyn Davies in the title role with sopranos Lucy Crowe and Zoe Brookshaw, conducted by Christian Curnyn. Mark Padmore takes the role of Evangelist and director in Bach's St Matthew Passion, with Samuel Hasselhorn as Christus and soloists Mary Bevan, Rowan Pierce, Paula Murrihy, Bethany Horak-Hallett, Hugo Hymas, James Newby. Maasaki Suzuki will be conducting a programme of Bach and Buxtehude with OAE Rising Stars as soloists.

Moving to the 19th century, we have a pair of iconic violin concertos. Nicola Benedetti's plays Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in a programme conducted by Sir Roger Norrington along with Brian Newbould's completion of Schubert's Symphony No. 8. Brahms' Violin Concerto with Alina Ibragimova is conducted by Robin Ticciati plus Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, in a rare performance on gut strings. The last concert in the season ventures into the 20th century with Geoffrey Paterson conducting Richard Strauss' Sextet from Capriccio, Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1, and Strauss' Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme with soloists Alexander Melnikov (piano) and David Blackadder (trumpet).

Full details from the OAE website.