Orchestra of the 18th Century
Orchestra
The Orchestra of the 18th Century was founded in 1981 by Frans Brüggen, Lucy van Dael, and a number of friends. The orchestra consists of approximately 50 members from all over the world, with 20 nationalities. The orchestra meets six or more times a year for international tours. The musicians, individually known as specialists in eighteenth and early nineteenth century music, play on authentic instruments or copies.
The extensive repertoire with works by Purcell, Bach, Rameau, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Chopin, among others, was initially released on CD by Philips Classics, now on Glossa/The Grand Tour. Many of these recordings received international awards.
In August 2014, the orchestra had to say goodbye to Frans Brüggen. His death put an end to the collaboration between the orchestra and its Founding Father. The orchestra members have decided to continue the tradition of six or more tours a year with guests and guest conductors.
The concert during the Cello Biennale Amsterdam on October 29 is also the farewell of their unsurpassed manager, from the very beginning, Sieuwert Verster.