Remaining faithful to their tradition of making live recordings during the course of their concert tours, Frans Brüggen and the Orchestra of the 18th Century now come forward with the results of concerts given by them in the spring of last year with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Easter Oratorio as the centrepiece of the new release. With Ilse Eerens, Michael Chance, Markus Schäfer and David Wilson-Johnson as the vocal soloists, and with the faithful Cappella Amsterdam responsible for the choruses, Brüggen and his legendary ensemble once again demonstrate why they have been – and continue to be – one of the pillars of the historically-informed performance movement, which from the final quarter of the 20th century onwards, has stirred up so radically the way of hearing music composed before 1800.

The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century continues true to it's original guiding spirit, with a new recording of the six Hamburg Symphonies, Wq 182 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. This second son of JS Bach, Carl Philipp has sometimes had a rough ride with posterity (and with some of his contemporaries too). Although overshadowed later by Haydn and Mozart - albeit admired by the pair - and overshadowed in his lifetime by Handel, he remains a crucial link between the Baroque and the Classical, particularly for the ultra-sensitive style, his Empfindsamkeit.

This is a St Matthew Passion which should please many readers. Bruggen’s interpretation is eloquent, thoughtful in matters of style and expressive content, and it benefits from a textural clarity which few competitors can rival. All aspects of Bach’s miraculous score are taken into account.

The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century continues true to its original guiding spirit, with a new recording of the six Hamburg Symphonies, Wq 182 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. This second son of JS Bach, Carl Philipp has sometimes had a rough ride with posterity (and with some of his contemporaries too). Although overshadowed later by Haydn and Mozart - albeit admired by the pair - and overshadowed in his lifetime by Handel, he remains a crucial link between the Baroque and the Classical, particularly for the ultra-sensitive style, his Empfindsamkeit.

Thanks to the overwhelming success of his tenth opera L'italiana in Algeri (1813), the 21-year-old Gioachino Rossini definitively conquered the world stage as the greatest comic opera composer of his time. With this opera, which 'in the eyes of Stendhal' 'makes you forget all the miseries of the world', Rossini created a blueprint for his greatest successes. The style showcased in L'iitaliana is a consummation of eighteenth-century traditions as well as an inspiration for later, Romantic developments, and the humorous events in the story entertain us until this very day. With this live recording made at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in February 2022, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century once again shows its capacity for renewal while respecting its venerable past, which will always be linked to the late Frans Brggen.

Founded in 1981, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century consists of approximately fifty-five musicians from all over the world. The orchestra is specialised in the music of that era and the musicians play on period instruments or copies of them. This spectacular rendition of Beethoven’s „Symphony No. 3“, live recorded at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, has won them international acclaim. Beethoven originally dedicated the „Eroica“ (1804) to Napoleon, who at the time was re-drawing the map of Europe as comprehensively as this epic symphony was to re-define the architecture of music. It was only belatedly that the composer realised that ‘heroes’ with absolute political power easily turn into tyrants and tore up the dedication.

The best period instrument recording of Mendelssohn Symphonies 3,4,5 and Overtures " the Hebrides" and "Calm sea and Prosperous Voyage". Bruggen's tempos are moderate and textures are very clear: you can hear individual voices in the orchestra not obvious in many recordings. The Orchestra of the 18th Century play with a full sound and are never scrawny. Orchestra of the 18th Century's horns, clarinet, and flutes were very well played in these live recordings from 1990, 1994, 1995, and 1996.

For more than four decades now, Eric Hoeprich has specialized in performing on the historical clarinet. His expertise as a musician, scholar and instrument maker allows for a unique approach to the repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries. Founding member and principal clarinet of the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Hoeprich has performed frequently as a soloist with the orchestra, with his recording of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto for Glossa, under the direction of Frans Brüggen (2001), being a major milestone. With his ensembles Nachtmusique and Stadler Trio he has also made frequent recordings for Glossa, while his collaborations with the London Haydn Quartet have yielded another handful of fine albums for the label, the latest of which, published just a few months ago in 2020, contains two Weber Clarinet Quintets and is a perfect companion for the current release.