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Baroque Revelry

A fun and sordid musical romp through Baroque Europe!

Directed by Richard Tognetti in an exciting collaboration with Belvoir, Baroque Revelry will transport you back in time to an 18th-century concert hall. From the sublime through to the sordid and grotesque, this theatrical musical romp will be like nothing you’ve experienced before.

“This is not ‘shut up and listen’ music, but rather ‘have a damned fine time and enjoy’ music.” Richard Tognetti

‘Baroque’ means oddly shaped or imperfect pearl. This wasn’t a neat and pretty world; it was ultra-vibrant. A period of strong emotions, smells and physical sensations. Europe was tightly packed and alive with energy, its paintings and plays ribald and florid, its societies galvanised by intellectual and religious revolutions. Its music was pulsing with lives that could be sordid as much as sacred.

With stage direction by Belvoir’s Carissa Licciardello, Richard and the Orchestra along with soprano Chloe Lankshear and a troupe of actors, will define this era through the music of Tartini, Boccherini, Biber, Handel, CPE Bach and some incredible trailblazing women - Barbara Strozzi, Isabella Leonardi and Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre.

But be careful, the vividness of Baroque life may come as a shock, and even offend, our delicate 21st century sensibilities!

 

DINE & DISCOVER

We are thrilled to announce that we’re now accepting the NSW Government's Dine & Discover vouchers. You can redeem your $25 Discover vouchers on single tickets and Flexi-Subscriptions to all 2021 ACO performances in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle. Please click here for more information.

 

ACO STUDIOCASTS

Music from this program features in the ACO StudioCast Baroque Revelry.

Baroque Revelry will premiere at 8pm AEDT, Wednesday 1st December, 2021, and will be available for subscribers to watch on demand until 11:59pm AEDT Friday 31st December, 2021.


COVID-19 VENUE UPDATES

If you are attending, or planning to attend any venues for the performance of Baraoque Revelry, please find the latest Covid-19 safety updates direct from the venue, listed and linked to on this page. The ACO thanks you in advance for your careful reading and consideration of your venue and their recommended guidelines.

Satu

ACO StudioCasts

ACO StudioCasts is a pioneering season of high quality, cinematic concert films created to enhance our live season and to bring the ACO to those who can’t attend our concerts.

Buy an annual subscription for $229, or 7-day single film access for $35.

PROGRAM INCLUDES

CPE BACH – Cello Concerto in A major, Wq.172
REBEL – Les élémens: I. Le cahos
PURCELL – “Pox on you for a fop”, Z.268
ANONYMOUS – Iag Bari
STROZZI – “Amor dormiglione”, Op.2, No.22
LEONARDA – Sonata for 2 Violins in F major, Op.16, No.10
RAMEAU – Les Boréades: Entr’acte, Suitte des vents
DOWLAND – “Flow, my teares”
LE SIEUR DE MACHY – Suite No.1 in D minor: I. Prelude
DE LA GUERRE – Harpsichord Suite No.3 in A minor: I. Prelude
HANDEL – Semele, HWV58: “Myself I shall adore”
TARTINI – Violin Sonata in G minor “Devil’s trill” [abridged]
BOCCHERINI – Sinfonia in D minor, Op.12, No.4 “La casa del Diavolo” [abridged]
STROZZI – “Che si può fare”, Op.8, No.6
MORLEY – “Will you buy a fine dog?”
BIBER – Sonata violino solo representativa: Selections
BOCCHERINI – String Quintet in C major, G.324: Selections

CONCERT duration
90 minutes, including interval.
Concert program
Download Program
Playlist by the ACO
Listen on Spotify

ARTISTS

ACO Artistic Director Richard Tognetti

Richard Tognetti AO

Director & Violin

Richard Tognetti is Artistic Director and Lead Violin of the ACO. He has established an international reputation for his compelling performances and artistic individualism.

Richard has appeared as director or soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras. He was Artistic Director of Slovenia’s Festival Maribor from 2008 to 2015 and the first Artist-in-Residence at the Barbican Centre’s Milton Court in 2016. In addition, he has curated and co-composed film scores including the ACO’s Mountain.

Read Full Bio

2023 Helena 2 1x1 - Copy

Helena Rathbone

Director & Violin

Helena Rathbone has performed as Principal Violin with the ACO since 1994, and regularly performs with the Orchestra as a soloist and guest leader. In addition, Helena is the Orchestra Representative and Mentor for the ACO’s Emerging Artists Program and Director of ACO Collective.
ACO Principal Violin Satu Vanska

Satu Vänskä

Violin & Vocals

Satu Vänskä was appointed Principal Violin of the ACO in 2004. She regularly performs as lead violin and soloist with the ACO. Satu is also frontwoman, violinist and vocalist of ACO Underground, the ACO’s electro-infused, experimental spin-off band.
ACO UP CLOSE - STEF

Stefanie Farrands

Viola

Stefanie Farrands was appointed Principal Viola with the ACO in 2020. She studied with renowned violist Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik, Hanns Eisler Berlin and has performed with orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Camerata Salzburg and Spira Mirabilius.
Tipi

Timo-Veikko Valve

Cello

Timo-Veikko ‘Tipi’ Valve was appointed Principal Cello of the ACO in 2006. He is regarded as one of the most versatile musicians of his generation performing as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader on both modern and period instruments, and regularly performs as a soloist with the ACO.
Harpsichordist Erin Helyard

Erin Helyard

Harpsichord

Erin Helyard is one of Australia’s foremost early music specialists, both as a conductor and a performer on harpsichord, organ and fortepiano. A Helpmann Award winner, he is Artistic Director and co-founder of Pinchgut Opera and the Orchestra of the Antipodes, and has performed with orchestras Australia wide.
The Australian Chamber Orchestra on stage

Australian Chamber Orchestra

The Australian Chamber Orchestra travels a remarkable road. Making waves across Australia and around the world for its explosive performances and brave interpretations, the ACO embraces celebrated classics alongside new commissions, and adventurous cross-artform collaborations.

COMPOSERS

Bernardo_Strozzi_001

Barbara Strozzi

Venetian composer Barbara Strozzi was one of the most important composers of Italian cantatas and baroque arias. Her work was published prolifically during her lifetime and was essential to the historical development of vocal music and opera beyond the baroque era.
CPE Bach

CPE Bach

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach is the second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was an important figure in the transition from the Baroque style, which his father had perfected, to the Classical style that Haydn and Mozart would bring to full maturity. Carl Philip Emanuel favoured a dynamic, dramatic approach to music, and earned a reputation for his “singular taste, verging on the bizarre”.
Tartini-square-image

Giuseppe Tartini

The Italian violinist and composer Tartini made an important contribution to the development of acoustic theory and of the virtuoso violin concerto and solo repertoire. The best known of Tartini’s many violin sonatas is that known as the ‘Devil’s Trill’, the result, it was said, of a dream in which the Devil himself played the work.
Composer Geminiani

Francesco Geminiani

Francesco Geminiani was an Italian composer and violinist who was, in his day, deemed an equal of Handel and Corelli (his teacher). He is most famous for his three sets of Concerti Grossi, and his treatise The Art of Playing the Violin, which is the best-known summation of Baroque violin technique.

Heinrich Biber

Heinrich Biber

Heinrich Biber was a Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist. His solo violin sonatas are some of the earliest-known pieces for the instrument, and his evocative orchestral and choral works employed techniques that were centuries ahead of their time.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Get the answer to frequently asked questions below, or email [email protected] if something still isn't clear.

Attendance Guidance

Please do not attend a performance if you:

  • are feeling unwell
  • have experienced any symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days
  • are awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test
  • have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19
  • have returned from overseas or a hotspot area, or have had direct contact with someone who has returned from overseas or a hotspot area in the past 14 days
  • have been in any venues or locations identified as a hotspot area and/or where the advice has been to isolate for 14 days.

Please review our COVID-19 terms and conditions if you are no longer able to attend a Performance due to these reasons. Please err on the side of caution when considering your attendance.

Whilst at a performance:

  • It is strongly recommended that you wear a face mask - please bring your own or, if necessary, one can be provided on entry. Please note that it may be mandatory to wear a face mask in some states, in line with current Government directives.
  • Practice social distancing, allowing 1.5m between others and avoiding close contact.  
  • Practice good hand hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds.
  • Use hand sanitiser (including before and after eating); and cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue.
  • Where possible, use contactless payment methods at all transaction points within your venue.

Can I choose my own seats?

In some cities, yes, but not in all. Depending on the current COVID-19 health policies of your state, seating within venues may, or may not, be socially distanced. If it is socially distanced, then the ACO will allocate your seats. If seating is not socially distanced, and the venue is operating at 100% capacity, then you will be able to choose your own seat.

Patrons in Victoria are advised that due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions all seats must be allocated by the ACO. You may book a general admission ticket to secure your entry to a performance, and your seat will be confirmed by the ACO closer to your performance date.

Can I renew my subscription seats?

If your venue is operating at 100% capacity then yes. If your venue is operating with socially distanced seating then you won’t be able to renew your subscription seats. We will reseat you for 2021 and freeze your current seats so you can go back to them in 2022.

Do I have to wear a mask to concerts?

Face masks are mandatory within the venue and will be available if you do not have one with you.

Am I eligible for a concession?

Concession-priced tickets are available to current holders of means-tested Australian pensions (Aged, Disability, Veteran’s Affairs, Supporting Parent).

I have a credit on my account. How can I use it?

You can use your existing credit towards any ACO purchase, including live performances and StudioCasts subscriptions. Credits can only be redeemed by emailing [email protected] or by calling our Box Office on 1800 444 444.

Will my credit expire?

Credit amounts generated from cancelled performances do not expire. We will continue to hold onto your credit until you decide what you would like to do.

Can I purchase accessible seating?

If you would like to book wheelchair or accessible seating spaces, please call the Box Office on 1800 444 444.

Can I purchase an ACO StudioCasts Subscription and a live performance ticket?

Yes, you can purchase both a StudioCasts and live performance subscription, either online or over the phone.