Orchestra of the 18th Century

In 1981, Frans Brüggen, Lucy van Dael and a group of friends founded the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, which consists of some fifty-five members from more than twenty different countries. Five times a year the orchestra assembles to go on tour. The musicians, who are all specialists in eighteenth and early nineteenth century music, play on period instruments or on contemporary copies. The wide-ranging repertoire this orchestra has recorded includes works by Purcell, Bach, Rameau, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Chopin.  In August 2014 the Orchestra had to say farewell to Frans Brüggen. The inspired collaboration with the Orchestra's  founding father came to an end but Brüggens inspiration will remain and lead the Orchestra in the years to come.  The Orchestra decided to continue the tradition of five projects a year, now inviting guests and guest conductors.