The Golden Road to Samarkand

Hassan is an unlikely hero – an unattractive Baghdad sweet merchant who is comically rebuffed by his would-be love. But the mood changes when he is accidentally taken into the court of the city’s all-powerful ruler, whose brutality and corruption sickens him. Written 100 years ago, Delius’s richly evocative incidental music to James Elroy Flecker’s play is very rarely performed. Experience it in a compelling adaptation for orchestra, narrated by Zeb Soanes – a familiar voice on the shipping forecast for over two decades, who now hosts a daily show on Classic FM.

In the first half, Egyptian-Australian virtuoso oud player Joseph Tawadros sets the scene, performing his own intricate and mesmerising compositions, including the world premiere performances of his new concerto, Three Stages of Hindsight, commissioned by Britten Sinfonia.