If you’re going to create a concert based around the work of one family, you may as well pick the Bachs. For this programme, the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra borrowed the services of soloist Christopher Moore (Principal Viola for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and former Principal with the Australian Chamber Orchestra) and paired it neatly with the work of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, and of course Johann Sebastian himself, with a special appearance from Telemann (who was in life godfather to CPE Bach). While JS Bach is of course king of the Baroque era, the others dip their timelines gently into the cusp of the Classical period, hence Beyond Baroque. It was a flurry of musical banter that proves this music can still light up the faces of audiences and performers today.

The programme opened with CPE Bach’s Sinfonia in E Minor Fandango, which immediately set the bar. It was clear that William Hennessy (who is Concertmaster and Artistic Director of MCO) is a seasoned director and performer with absolute command of the players and the work. Dynamics were showy and bold. Hennessy really worked with the acoustics of the room, perhaps instinctually or by design, so that...