Handel's Tamerlano, Barbican Hall

The baroque orchestra Il Pomo d’Oro is one of the most exciting period ensembles around. Since being founded in 2012 by Gesine Lübben and Giulio d’Alessio, they have blazed a trail across Europe, bringing some of the most thrilling and vibrant early opera back to life. For their appearance in the Barbican Centre’s 2015/16 season, they have chosen one of the most spectacular shows of all – Handel’s Tamerlano (1724).

One of the great eighteenth century composer’s major works, Tamerlano is a roving historical epic. It centres around the relationship between the titular tyrant and his defeated foe Bajazet. Romantic complications soon develop, leading to a poisonous climax that just manages to avoid tragedy. With sumptuous music and an ever-shifting dramatic landscape, it is both a vivid journey through Handel’s techniques and an edge-of-the-seat thriller.

The cast is led by countertenor Xavier Sabata (Bad Guys), one of the most exciting young singers in the world and a specialist in playing terrifying villains. Tenor John Mark Ansley (Messiah) plays against him as the noble Bazajet, one of the first strong roles for his voice. They will be joined by Max Emanuel Cencic, Julia Lezhneva, Romina Basso and Pavel Kudinov, an international cast of rising stars, while Il Pomo d’Oro’s co-chief conductor Maxim Emelyanychev leads the orchestra. Given the acclaim for the same group's recording of opera, this should be the baroque at its most scintillating.