*** When the big names of the Baroque era composed their masterpieces 300 years ago they must have dreamed about their hits sounding this good.

Canada's Baroque Orchestra, Tafelmusik, was a time-machine last night, sweeping the audience out of its seats and back to that magic period between 1650 and 1750 when, in music at least, intellect took a backseat to emotion.

And there are still a handful of tickets left to tonight's City Hall performance, on sale at the Festival's Box Office from midday today.

This ensemble has always bowed to the exact wishes of greats like Vivaldi, Bach and Handel by performing their compositions on rare period instruments in the authentic Baroque style intended by the composers.

The instruments are even tuned to replicate the era's lower pitch.

Perhaps a few members of last night's audience who were expecting the powerful big boom of a huge modern orchestra may have walked away bewildered by Tafelmusik's softer, sweeter, more seductive sound.

But that intimacy and raw flexibility was the best bit.

The passion of Italian maestros and the precision which gave German composers their reputation for excellence were entwined perfectly into one swinging experience.

Soprano Karina Gauvin grabbed the audience's attention to open the night with a smouldering performance of a motet by Vivaldi.

Her vigour made it hard to believe the lilting Latin verse was originally designed to fill silences during Catholic Mass services.

And Vivaldi, a red-headed Italian composer who left the priesthood to work as a violin teacher and orchestra director at a conservatory for wayward girls in Venice, would have loved every angelic second of it.

Critics often suggest the great man repeated the same music hundreds of times, but his two offerings last night were perfect examples of how versatile he was.

His Concerto for oboe in A Minor was almost like watching a prize-fight.

John Abberger sparred with the main ensemble during his solo, pushing them to glorious heights -- a highlight of the evening.

Giovanni Benedetto Platti's Sonata in C Minor for oboe, bassoon and continuo with Washington McClain on oboe and Micheal McCraw on bassoon was soulful and dreamy.

But the night's grand finale was a suite of arias (again starring Soprano Gauvin) and dances from the closing ballet of Handel's Agrippina opera.

And last night it felt like we were back in the same Venetian theatre, thunderstruck all over again and dizzy with the characters' cunning ambition and bitter despair.

The music enveloped the audience and took us somewhere else -- where good conquers evil and the beautiful young girl always wins the hero.

Deidre Stark THEATRE THR REVIEW REV