The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century is one of the most prominent early music orchestras in the world. The musicians play internationally in leading (chamber) music ensembles and meet several times a year for performances of iconic and lesser-known repertoire. In the early 1980s, the orchestra achieved world fame by performing grand symphonic work on original instruments and in a historically informed manner. A revolution that never really stopped.
But the uniqueness of the orchestra is not only in the sound or the way of playing. Ever since it was founded by Frans Brüggen more than forty years ago, musicians have never taken a score for granted. The approach is critical, curious, investigative and progressive. Core values from the Enlightenment that all orchestra members hold in high esteem. That is why every performance is a new challenge and the iconic repertoire remains alive and kicking.
Based on the music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, the orchestra is always looking for the expressiveness of early music in modern times. As a listener, how would you react to Beethoven’s fifth, if you heard it for the first time? How exuberant was Mozart’s audience at the premiere of ‘Cosí fan Tutte’? Knowledge about this context and the music continues to evolve and 18C. continues to anticipate new interpretations of this. Every concert is a witness to this quest