English Baroque with Circa

The Brisbane performance of English Baroque marks the end of a three-week tour of Australia that has been earning dazzling reviews. The 90-minute program showcases a sublime selection of tunes chosen by Brandenburg Artistic Director Paul Dyer and Circa Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz, showcasing pieces from star 16th- and 17th-century composers, including Purcell, Handel, Dowland and Corelli, plus a handful of traditional tunes such as Scarborough Fair. The uplifting mix is played by the brilliant 13-piece Australian Brandenburg Orchestra – featuring period instruments such as the flute/recorder, harp and theorbo and Baroque guitar – and brought to life through transcendent soprano vocals by Jane Sheldon and Lauren Stephenson.

English Baroque music has flourish and celebration – not surprising, as it came into force in the 1660s when Charles II reopened all the theatres and music was revitalised once again by royal patronage. This chocolate-box selection is presented as a series of scenes, corralled into themes of everyday Baroque life: Court; Bedroom; Chapel; and the celebratory finale of the Fairground (including gentle audience participation). The stage is split, with musicians on either side, and set into garden-party motion by a changing collection of wonderful gravity- and strength-defying feats by Brisbane-based Circa acrobats. They use plinths, bars, hoops and ropes to astound and amaze, often working in time to the music and interacting with the singers – including a heavenly Sheldon, swinging high in the air as she sings for one piece.

The on-stage acrobatics with musical interludes may jar at first, but the history books tell us that, in Shakespeare’s day, stages would be filled with players, singers, “feats of activity, such as tumbling, vaulting, and rope-dancing”. It is invigorating and adds a layer of excitement to the performance and helps to transport us to the Baroque age. However, I do wish that the program could include a few breaks for the sake of the talented vocalists and musicians who are often drowned out by spontaneous (and well-deserved) applause for the acrobats. But overall, it is a magic mix that will leave audiences wanting more from all the performers in this clever collaboration. If the word ‘Baroque’ really is derived from ‘barroco’, the Portuguese for ‘odd-shaped pearl’, this melange of music and movement perfectly fits the bill.

Beth Keehn

Find out more about Soprano Jane Sheldon’s working process with the Brandenburg Orchestra and Circa in our Stage Whispers interview:

http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/news/when-creative-worlds-collide-interview-jane-sheldon

Photography: Steven Godbee