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Maxim Emelyanychev and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra offer a Baroque-inspired programme of Bach, Handel, Britten, a modern take on Scarlatti and wonderfully zany Schnittke.

Guth’s Semele turns myth into a contemporary domestic drama, where desire becomes obsession and illusion consumes reality. Handel’s music remains the true engine, driven by a thrilling, physically intense ensemble.

The Dunedin Messiah, a speciality with Baroque instruments, is given with soloists Nardus Williams, Lotte Betts-Dean, Joshua Ellicott and Dingle Yandell in Perth, directed by John Butt.

A lean Seattle Symphony under guest conductor Ivars Taurins brings stylish energy to Baroque orchestral theater by Telemann, Hasse and Handel.

A rare performance of one of Handel’s choral extravaganzas, given a forthright outing in Hereford Cathedral that highlights the power, if not the subtlety, of music. 

Christophe Dumaux shines as Arsamene in Nina Russi’s enjoyable production of Handel’s masterpiece revived at the Opernhaus Zürich under the baton of Enrico Onofri. 

Whelan conducts the lively Irish Baroque Orchestra in a recreation of Mr Charles’ 1742 Dublin concert showcasing horns and introducing the oboe d’amore and the chalumeau.