Acrobatic troupe Circa performs with Australian Brandenburg Orchestra at Queensland Performing Arts Centre

Brisbane’s premier acrobatic troupe Circa is collaborating with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for the boundary-pushing 'Circa & The Art of Fugue' with the performance combining the daring artistry of acrobatics with the Brandenburg’s vibrant interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterpiece The Art of Fugue.

The performances will take place at Queensland Performing Arts Centre on 5th August, Melbourne Recital Centre from 7th – 10th August and Sydney’s City Recital Hall from 12th – 16th August.

For 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 breathtaking physicality of contemporary acrobatics, in a celebration of human potential. Taking the unfinished masterpiece The Art of Fugue 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. 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.

Joining the Orchestra 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.

Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Circa Yaron Lifschitz notes “Paul and I 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. Ever since I drove my old Kingswood with a cassette tape of The Art of the Fugue 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.”

Co-founder and Artistic Director of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Paul Dyer added “this collaboration with Circa is 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.

“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.”