QPAC

Cocteau’s Circle

Australian Chamber Orchestra Cocteau’s Circle

10 Nov 2025, 7pm
Concert Hall
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$69 - $167 *
* A transaction fee of $7.50 applies.
2 hours
including interval, subject to change without notice

Join the Australian Chamber Orchestra on an adventure to Paris as they close their 50th Anniversary National Concert Season with a night of celebration and surprise

Step into the intimate, dreamy light of Le Boeuf sur le toit, the legendary cabaret bar of 1920s Paris. The liquor is strong and spirits are high. War is over and art is flourishing. Here, Europe’s most fashionable mingle with the city’s greatest minds: Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein ...

And you’re invited to join their circle.

Richard Tognetti directs the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) as they dive into an era of innovation and wonder, featuring renowned Australian soprano Chloe Lankshear.

Le Gâteau Chocolat, of La Clique and La Soirée fame, will be the ACO maître d’. A brilliant bass and exceptional entertainer, he’ll take you on a journey into les années folles (the crazy years).

The ACO have always been rule-breakers, so this program shines a light on the innovators who paved the way for future trend-setters. You’ll hear the music of Erik Satie, Lili Boulanger and the group dubbed Les Six – composers including Francis Poulenc and Darius Milhaud, who took their inspiration from the transgressive jazz they heard at LeBoeuf as well as Cocteau’s avant-garde poetry.

Directed by Circa’s Yaron Lifschitz, who always brings the unexpected, this will be a spectacular evening of storytelling, song and surrealism.

Program

Elena Kats-Chernin Pre-show: Intermission Music#
Georges Auric Ouverture^ [abridged]
Elena Kats-Chernin Interlude 1: Les années folles (The crazy years)#
Igor Stravinsky L’Histoire du soldat: Ragtime
Arthur Honegger Les Mariés de la tour Eiffel: Marche funèbre^
Elena Kats-Chernin Interlude 2: L’opéra (The opera)#
Henri Christiné Phi-Phi: Bien Chapeautée^
Germaine Tailleferre String Quartet: I. Modéré^
George Gershwin Oh, Lady Be Good!^
Maurice Ravel String Quartet: IV. Vif et agité** 
Elena Kats-Chernin Interlude 3: Le sacré (The sacred)#
Francis Poulenc Les Chemins de l’amour^
Lili Boulanger Pie Jesu
Igor Stravinsky Trois piéces pour quatuor à cordes: I. Danse, III. Cantique
George Gershwin Porgy and Bess: I Loves You, Porgy^
Jean Françaix Concertino for Piano & Orchestra: I. Presto leggiero^
Elena Kats-Chernin Interlude 4: Les fantômes (The ghosts)#
Claude Debussy String Quartet, Op.10: II. Assez vif et bien rythmé** 
Janis Ian Stars^
Elena Kats-Chernin Interlude 5: Étonnez-moi (Astonish me)#
Darius Milhaud Le Bœuf sur le toit, Op.58*** 
Edith Piaf L’Hymne a l’amour

#Commissioned by the Australian Chamber Orchestra
^Arranged by Andrew Howes
**Arranged by Richard Tognetti
***Arranged by Bernard Rofe

About ACO

The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) is celebrating fifty years in 2025 and is one of the most acclaimed chamber orchestras in the world, renowned for their inspired programming, unrivalled virtuosity, energy and individuality. Under the direction of Artistic Director Richard Tognetti, they take audiences on an adventure to create truly transformative experiences.

Important Information

Artists

  • Director and Violin Richard Tognetti
  • Staging Director Yaron Lifschitz
  • Maître d’ Le Gâteau Chocolat
  • Soprano Chloe Lankshear
  • Chamber Orchestra Australian Chamber Orchestra

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