A season to celebrate

CLASSICAL: MASTERWORKS: IRISH BAROQUE ORCHESTRA/ MONICA HUGGETT (VIOLIN) National Gallery, Dublin Tues/Thurs/Jan 16/Jan 19/ Jan 21/Jan 24; Wexford Opera House Jan 23

The dire economic situation continues to cast gloomy shadows. But the Irish Baroque Orchestra is in remarkably celebratory mode, and has chosen January to present one of the biggest projects it has ever undertaken.

In six concerts at the National Gallery (variously starting at 3pm, 6pm and 7pm), featuring violinist Monica Huggett, it's offering all six of Bach's BrandenburgConcertos (one per concert), all six concerti grossi of Handel's Op 3 (ditto), and all 12 of Vivaldi's Op 8 (I l cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione, The marriage of harmony and invention), the set which opens with the four concertos the world knows as The Four Seasons.

There is also a separate concert in Wexford on Saturday 23rd, when The Four Seasonscan be heard together, along with representative concertos by Bach and Handel.