First time around, turning the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra into a circus act sounded a bit sketchy. But the orchestra was teaming up with Circa, which is not just any circus act.
Brisbane-based Circa has conquered the world with its thrilling and aesthetically refined acrobatics. The company also has a genius for collaboration, teaming up again with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for the ground-breaking show, Circa & The Art of Fugue, which comes to QPAC on August 5.
This performance will combine the daring artistry of acrobatics with the Brandenburg’s vibrant interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterpiece, The Art of Fugue.
For what is Circa and the Brandenburg’s fifth collaboration, Circa & The Art of Fugue brings together the meticulous intellect of one of Bach’s most complex works with the breath-taking physicality of contemporary acrobatics, in a celebration of human potential.
Taking the unfinished Bach masterpiece as its musical and philosophical foundation, the concert series evolved from both Circa’s artistic director Yaron Lifschitz and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s artistic director Paul Dyer’s long-standing desire to stage a performance of this profound composition.
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It is believed that the work was composed near the end of Bach’s life, a summation of everything he knew about music.
Although incomplete, The Art of Fugue is one of Bach’s most intricate pieces of music. The work comprises a single musical theme that is transformed and elaborated across 14 fugues and four canons, each more complex than the last. Not only is the instrumentation of the work unspecified, the final movement breaks off mid-sentence, sparking centuries of debate and interpretation.
For a circus company to perform to this you need a company that can be as cerebral as it is visceral – and that’s Circa.
From its base in Brisbane, since 2004 Circa has toured the world – performing in more than 45 countries to almost two million people. Circa’s productions have been greeted with standing ovations, rave reviews and sold-out houses across six continents.
Circa is at the forefront of the new wave of contemporary Australian circus – pioneering how extreme physicality can create powerful and moving performances. It continues to push the boundaries of the art form, blurring the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus.
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Under the direction of Lifschitz, Circa features an ensemble of multi-skilled circus artists who have been a regular fixture at leading festivals and venues in New York, London, Berlin and Montreal, with seasons at Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Barbican Centre, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamäleon Theatre, as well as major Australian festivals.
sound and movement become inseparable as the alchemy of Bach’s music is embodied in motion
Joining the Brandenburg on stage, Lifschitz’s dynamic choreography will see the Circa acrobats move in canon, opposition and harmony, reflecting the musical lines and contrapuntal structure of the music. Here sound and movement become inseparable as the alchemy of Bach’s music is embodied in motion.
Lifschitz says he and Dyer “share a relationship of trust and simpatico”.
“He approaches music as I do circus, with an open heart, a curious mind and a desire to connect great art with diverse audiences,” Lifschitz says. “Ever since I drove my old Kingswood with a cassette tape of The Art of the Fugue playing, I have been wanting to stage it – in its purity, complexity and sheer brilliance.
“There is a magnificent depth to the music, which is intimidating and thrilling choreographically. I can’t wait to see Bach’s immortal music on the acrobatic body. Audiences can expect a stage awash with bodies and some of the most intricate and astounding music ever composed, filled with the Brandenburg’s energy and spirit and embodied by Circa’s acrobats.”
Dyer, who is also the Brandenburg’s co-founder, describes his collaborations with Circa as “a continuation of a long-standing artistic dialogue built on mutual respect and creative fearlessness”.
“Yaron and his company have an incredible ability to bring something bold and deeply human to classical music,” Dyer says. “In this production, audiences will not only hear the intricate beauty of Bach’s music, they’ll see it brought to life through powerful, poetic movement. For me, the most thrilling moments are where stillness meets sound, and movement gives voice to silence, revealing the profound emotional architecture of Bach’s genius.”
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra: Circa & The Art of Fugue, Concert Hall, QPAC, 7pm, August 5.