Curators Monica Curro and Stefan Cassomenos have set out to examine our heritage and bloodlines, and to rejoice in “the miracle of how millions of notes in the hands of master musicians are crafted into stunning sonic stories,” all the while paying homage to the Ancient Greek mosaic and the inspiration of the Muses. Over three days, master musicians and ensembles – including The Consort of Melbourne, Vox Plexus and the PFSMF Children’s Chorus – will bring these stories to life.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

Farrago delves into the authentic music-making of the baroque theorbo player. At a moment’s notice, these musicians might be asked to play a piece from an opera or a recent ballet, improvise, compose a new piece, or even perform music originally intended for another instrument. Theorbo mastermind Nicholas Pollock devises an ingenious program capturing that experience – the selected pieces have been arranged, composed, and stolen to please the ear of the discerning listener, featuring music from 17th and 18th century Europe. Much of the music presented here has never been performed on the theorbo, ranging from the well-known Johann Sebastian Bach to the lesser-known but equally brilliant Carl Friedrich Abel. We discover enchanting pieces by Philipp Heinrich Erlebach and Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer, reimagined for an instrument forced by its tuning and quirks to transcend the complexities of baroque counterpoint. Presented alongside are works from some of the most notable theorbo players of the era, such as Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger, Alessandro Piccinini, and Robert de Visée – drawn from the rich farrago of baroque music.