The seven generations of musicians that make up the Bach family have come under the spotlight in recent concerts by two leading Australian orchestras, the Brandenburg and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, in programs aimed at shedding light on the genius of classical music’s greatest composer.

Madeleine Easton and Bach Akademie Australia at the Cell Block Theatre. Photo supplied

And now it’s the turn of Madeleine Easton’s crack ensemble, Bach Akademie Australia, which has taken things a step further with In Bach’s Orbit. The concert features works by composers who directly influenced Johann Sebastien, both musically and directly in his personal life, and examines the idea of “nature versus nurture”. The ensemble’s artistic director delves further in a series of Apple podcasts, in which she interviews child psychologist Brendan New about Bach’s trauma from being orphaned at the age of nine, and the president of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, Dr Peter Wollny.

In Bach’s Orbit is the first concert the Akademie has performed featuring works by composers other than Bach, starting with JS’s first cousin once removed, Johann Christoph, who mentored him as a child after his parents died.

The Lamento Ach,...