A billowing blue gauze hides the back of the stage of the City Recital Hall, the traditional ‘shoebox’ concert hall which has provided traditional classical ensembles with a close-to-ideal performing arena for two decades.

From behind the gauze come tantalising sounds – footsteps, chairs shifting, pages turning and faint sounds of fingers testing strings for tuning. Then, with the entrance of a parade of extravagantly costumed party animals the lighting shifts to reveal a full orchestra behind the gauze, enclosed by a massive gilt picture frame. The gauze falls away and the party begins.

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Circa perform Italian Baroque with Circa as part of Sydney Festival. Photo © Keith Saunders

Italian Baroque is the fourth collaboration between Australia’s leading historically-informed performance ensemble and Circa, the Brisbane-based, internationally-acclaimed contemporary circus company. From what could have been merely a novelty, the creative relationship between the two has developed into a fascinating conversation about the nature of music, art, entertainment and spectacle.

There is plenty of entertainment and spectacle in the Italian Baroque. The program is structured around four cities, with each principality portrayed in music and movement. Naples...