The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s Noël! Noël! has become as much a fixture of the Christmas concert season as the inevitable string of Messiahs sprinkled across the country each December. Presenting distinctive arrangements of popular Christmas carols alongside more unusual fare, the concert has become a yuletide tradition for many concertgoers. An important part of Brandenburg Artistic Director Paul Dyer’s winning formula includes a special guest: this year’s star was Australian tenor Joel Parnis – fresh from an impressive run as Freddy in the Sydney return season of My Fair Lady – who brought plenty of musical theatre flair to proceedings.

Joel Parnis and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. Photos © Steven Godbee.

But the concert began with the kind of music for which the Brandenburgs are better known, a trio of sackbuts bringing a warm, earthy ensemble sound to Palestrina’s Alma Redemptoris Mater, gilded by Matt Bruce’s bright violin. The Australian Brandenburg Choir soon took over, bringing clear toned precision to the Renaissance composer’s Kyrie from Missa Gabriel Archangelus, the four parts interweaving and overlapping before coalescing into joyous harmonic resolution beneath...