Orchestra of the 18th Century

The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century was founded in 1981 by Frans Brüggen, Lucy van Dael, and a number of friends. The orchestra consists of around 50 members from all over the world, with 20 different nationalities in total. The orchestra tours internationally at least six times a year. The musicians, individually renowned as specialists in 18th-Century and early 19th-Century music, play on authentic instruments or copies.

Their extensive repertoire with works by Purcell, Bach, Rameau, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, and others was initially released in CD recordings under the label Philips Classics and currently under Glossa/The Grand Tour. Many of these recordings won international awards.

In August, 2014, the orchestra had to say goodbye to Frans Brüggen, whose passing ended the orchestra’s collaboration with its founding father.

Plays in