Presented at the afternoon performance were the icons, the energy, the verve-in short the essence of the Brandenburg.
Premiering its 2026 concert line-up, Australia’s national Baroque music flagship, The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra launched into a vigorous performance at the City Recital Hall that was a zinger. Opening with a vibrant tribute to the composers who sit at the zenith of the Brandenburg identity.
Leaping gleefully onto the stage, ebullient Artistic Director Paul Dyer sketched the program bringing together the greats in one uplifting session. The savvy audience were hyped to enjoy the grandeur of Handel’s Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op.6 No.1, the uplifting inventiveness of Bach’s Brandenburg concertos, the timeless elegance of Pachelbel’s Canon and climaxing with the brilliance of Vivaldi.
This is music that showcases the full range of the Brandenburg’s artistry. The emotive facial and body movements convey the fun the musicians are having. From delicate solos to full ensemble fireworks, the orchestra moves with style, precision and passion through some of the most enduring works of the Baroque. The platform was composed of rediscovered favourites that heralded the perfect way to start the year, celebrating everything that makes their music, and this orchestra, unforgettable. The Brandenburg blissfully showcased their energetic spirit, stylistic diversity, ambition and innovation with brilliant musicianship, imaginative program utilising their outstanding soloists their delivery steeped in tradition while offering a luminous and liberating scores.
I cannot underscore what really stands out at concert after concert, is the impression that this bunch of musicians are having a really good time. They smile at each other gesticulating with a warmth not associated with classical performance.
Repertoire
HANDEL Concerto Grosso in G major, Op.6 No.I,
MARCELLO Concerto for oboe in D minor, SD935.
BACH. Brandenburg Concerto No.4 in G major, BWV1049
Interval
BACH. Brandenburg Concerto No.3. in G major, BWV1048.
PACHELBEL. Canon in D major, p37
QUANTZ. Concerto for Flute in C minor, QV 5:38
VIVALDI La Folia Trio Sonata in D minor, Op.I No 12, RV63
The Oboe casts a warming influence on the listener, never better than through Adam Masters, using his chosen instrument to a level of intimacy and verve, infusing the City Recital Hall with bewitching magnetism. He completed a Masters degree in Baroque Oboe at the Universitat der Kunstein in Berlin, studying with Xenia Loffler, working with numerous Baroque orchestras throughout Europe. Adam has played principal Oboe with all the major period- instrument ensambles in the country and has also resumed teaching period Oboe at the University of Melbourne.
Melissa Farrow conveys a flamboyantly restrained period flautist and recorder style so brilliantly delivered in Vivaldi, bringing a renewed sense of vitality to the music. She was tutored by the eminent Paul Dyer in Brandenburg chamber music while studying at the Sydney Conservatoire of Music. She is a core member of the Australian Haydn Ensamble and a member of Notturno, also regularly playing with Pinchgut Opera and the Orchestra of the Antipodes.
Glowing in a fresh lick of teal paint on the harpsichord, the program, even the D Canon, which can feel arduous through the 28 repetitions of the famous basso obstinate comes across light and charming. The cellos have an arduous time acquitting themselves with the roar of applause from a rapturous audience. Handel’s Concerto Grosso in G is a lovely opening. The Adagio is especially beautiful, allowing the musicians to interplay as if in conversation with each other.
Its always exciting to see Oboe and Flute on stage never better than in No3, where Dyer interpolates extracts from the Goldberg Variation into the famously skeletal second movement. Melissa Farrow’s duet with violinist Shaun-Lee-Chen is harmony personified. The finale of Vivaldi in his Trio Sonata sees the orchestra tear loose bringing down the proverbial curtain with finesse and musical athleticism to a grateful and frantically clapping audience.
