What a great time to be a HIPster. Australia’s burgeoning Historically Informed Performance scene has blossomed in recent years to accommodate several substantial new ensembles alongside the more established Brandenburgs and a plethora of quartets and trios specialising in various flavours of ‘early music’, but none are more exciting though than the artists formerly none as orchestra1788. The Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra may sport many players familiar from their older sister groups, but there’s an infectious energy and a sense of enthusiasm that turns an ARCO concert into an event.

The wide-ranging programme, which travelled from Vienna to Rome by way of Leipzig, launched with a fine account of Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture. It was Wagner who theorised that the dramatic C Minor opening (always a specially moody key for Beethoven) depicts Coriolanus’s warlike determination while the yearning secondary melody represents his mother’s appeal for mercy. Principal Guest Conductor Benjamin Bayl delivered just such a dramatic trajectory.

There was a tangible solidity to the ARCO sound, from the resolute opening through the bosom-heaving dramatics, and all done with impeccable intonation. Bayl offered a controlled performance, yet one that pulsed with energy, ensuring the development section always had a sense of purpose....