Expecting more from a concert than just music might sound a bit greedy, but I’m clearly not alone. The appetites of contemporary audiences, desensitised by our hyperlinked society to the relatively passive experience of the traditional concert paradigm, are increasingly hungry for feats of theatrical splendour or multi-media engagement when they step out for a night at the concert hall. Whether its acrobatic circus antics such as Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s French Baroque programme in July, cinematic projections such as Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s concert presentation of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, or choreographic collaborations such as the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s recent partnership with Sydney Dance Company, reimagining the framework of the concert format has proven to be a generous tactic for bolstering the ever dwindling number of classical concertgoers.

Or perhaps it’s all just gimmickry, superficial sparkle that bludgeons the intimacy and refinement of a classical performance with unnecessary razzamatazz? Of course this is a matter of opinion, but the art of crafting a classical programme that draws an audience in on both a visceral and intellectual level has always been a crucial consideration for a successfully constructed evening of music. Offering...