One of the most admired music ensembles in the world is touring for Musica Viva Australia until 4 June (Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney). Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra is back with a new show. And a show it is; a production, not just a concert. Titled Bach and His World, this multimedia creation draws on spoken word narrated by an actor, video and images designed to link the audience back to Leipzig at the time of Bach’s musical creativity. When he first went to Leipzig he was writing cantatas but he was also busy writing music for Friday night concerts in Zimmerman’s coffee house. Tafelmusik means ‘music for feasting’ which describes the circumstance for which he was writing for those Friday nights; music for entertainment, music for pleasure. The Toronto based orchestra has released 85 recordings and performed in 32 countries over almost four decades; a multi award winner including a Helpmann Award from the tour here in 2012. The current eight performance tour will be led by the Orchestra’s new (since last July) Musical Director, Elisa Citterio. Succeeding Jeanne Lamon, she is only the second Musical Director in its history. Elisa Citterio is said to have brought a new vibrancy to the Orchestra; being Italian she leads with ‘a very lively articulation with contrasts and variety’. The programs on this tour will be all JS Bach including Brandenburg Concerto no. 3, Orchestral Suite no. 1 in C major, and excerpts from Goldberg Variations. Bach & His World is not to be missed!