"Pineapples"

Mezzo soprano Fiona Campbell performing with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra during Haunting Handel.
May 2011 - Melbourne Recital Centre.

In the 1980s when I was studying in Europe, I had one of those rare moments of clarity. It all had to do
with period music and pineapples – yes, a ubiquitous fruit for Australians. You’re probably wondering
why. A Polish friend of mine, who was studying Baroque violin in The Hague at the same time as I was,
saw a ripe pineapple sitting on my desk and asked me what it was. This was still in the time before the
end of the Cold War and he had grown up behind the Iron Curtain, without access to many basic fruits,
let alone tropical fruits. It struck me then that, similarly, most Australians had never heard of the vast
array of Baroque and early Classical composers that were being unearthed in Europe.

Since then, Brandenburg audiences have enjoyed hundreds of Vivaldi concertos, Händel arias and
Bach and Mozart works, thanks to our internationally recognised baroque specialist musicians drawn
from all across Australia. But the “pineapples”, those unfamiliar baroque gems from the many
forgotten composers such as Palestrina, Breschianello, Caccini, Dall’Abaco, Weichlein and many more,
have also been scrumptiously devoured by our audiences. Today, thanks to your amazing support, the
Brandenburg is proud to be Australia’s premier period instrument orchestra, offering a fresh yet
uniquely Australian interpretation to the music of the Old World. Next year, the excitement of
discovering new territories continues as we aim to achieve yet another milestone by presenting the
very first opera for the Brandenburg, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo! I am thrilled and I hope you are too!

It’s been absolutely my life’s mission to promote live period music and enable music lovers to discover
the joyful sounds of Baroque treasures and the soul-enriching experience of our Brandenburg magic.
That magic, behind the composers and musicians, is you, who make every musical journey the
Brandenburg takes possible through your kind support. So thank you.

For the music you love and for the Brandenburg you love, please donate online at
www.brandenburg.com.au or by using the enclosed donation form. Thank you!

For the music you love and for the Brandenburg you love, please donate online. Thank you!

Yours sincerely,



Paul Dyer
Artistic Director

Please act now to support the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra as we embark upon this remarkable journey.