Freiburger Barockorchester (Freiburg Baroque Orchestra) is a German

Baroque orchestra A Baroque orchestra is an ensemble for mixed instruments that existed during the Baroque era of Western Classical music, commonly identified as 1600–1750. Baroque orchestras are typically much smaller, in terms of the number of performers, than t ...

founded in 1987, with the mission statement: "to enliven the world of

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

music with new sounds".

History

The orchestra is based in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...

. In addition to Baroque music, it has performed works by composers such as

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

and Weber, and contemporary music. The orchestra gave its first concert in 1987 and began touring abroad with a performance in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

in 1989. The first tour to America in 1995. Violinists

Gottfried von der Goltz Gottfried von der Goltz (born 1 June 1964 in Würzburg, Germany) is a German violinist and conductor, specialising in the baroque repertoire. Born into the ancient Brandenburgish Goltz family, Gottfried was a great-grandson of the former commande ...

and Petra Müllejans from among their own numbers are the regular musical directors. The orchestra performs a quarter of its concerts with guest conductors such as

Ivor Bolton Ivor Bolton Ivor Bolton (born 17 May 1958) is an English conductor and harpsichordist. Early life and education Bolton was born in Blackrod, Greater Manchester, England. He studied at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn and Clare Co ...

René Jacobs René Jacobs (born 30 October 1946) is a Belgian musician. He came to fame as a countertenor, but later in his career he became known as a conductor of baroque and classical opera. Biography Countertenor Born in Ghent, Jacobs began his music ...

Philippe Herreweghe Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe (born 2 May 1947) is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster. Herreweghe founded La Chapelle Royale and Collegium Vocale Gent and is renowned as a conductor, with a repertoire ranging from Rena ...

Pablo Heras-Casado Pablo Heras-Casado (born 1977) is a Spanish conductor. Early life The son of a retired police officer, he began singing with a school choir at the age of seven and piano lessons at the age of nine. He studied music at the conservatory in Grana ...

and

Trevor Pinnock Trevor David Pinnock (born 16 December 1946 in Canterbury, England) is a British harpsichordist and conductor. He is best known for his association with the period-performance orchestra The English Concert, which he helped found and directe ...

Awards

The Freiburger Barockorchester was awarded the 2012 Echo Klassik Awards as "Ensemble of the Year (Historical Instruments)".

Selected discography

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (22 November 17101 July 1784), the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach, was a German composer and performer. Despite his acknowledged genius as an organist, improviser and composer ...

: Concerto in D for flute; Sinfonia in D minor; Concerto in E minor for Cembalo; Concerto in E-flat for Two Cembalos. Performed by Karl Kaiser (flute) and Michael Behringer and Robert Hill (fortepiano and harpsichord), directed by Gottfried von der Goltz (Carus 83.304) *

Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...

: ''

Orfeo ed Euridice ' (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on Orpheus, the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the ''azione teatrale'', mea ...

''. Performed by

Bernarda Fink Bernarda Fink (born 29 August 1955) is an Argentine mezzo-soprano. Born in Buenos Aires to Slovene parents who immigrated from Yugoslavia, Fink studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. She won First Prize at th ...

, Veronica Cangemi, and

María Cristina Kiehr María Cristina Kiehr (born in Tandil, Argentina) is a soprano vocalist associated with Baroque music. After receiving her early musical training in Argentina, she moved in 1983 to Europe and studied under René Jacobs at the Schola Cantorum Basil ...

with the

RIAS Kammerchor The RIAS Kammerchor (RIAS Chamber Choir) is a German choir based in Berlin, Germany. It receives support from the Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre GmbH Berlin ("Berlin Radio Orchestra and Choirs"), a limited-liability company owned by the public bro ...

, directed by

(Harmonia Mundi 901742/43) *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

: Symphonies Nos. 6–8 (Le matin, Le midi, Le soir). Performed by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra (Harmonia Mundi 901767) *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

: Arias from Lucio Silla; Die Zauberflöte; Il rè pastore; Mitridate, rè di Ponto; Die Entführung aus dem Serail; La clemenza di Tito; Zaide. Performed by

Sandrine Piau Sandrine Piau (born 5 June 1965) is a French soprano. She is particularly renowned in Baroque music although also excels in Romantic and modernist art songs. She has the versatility to perform works from Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart to Schumann, Debus ...

(soprano) directed by Gottfried von der Goltz (Naïve-Astrée E8877) *

: Piano Concertos Nos 17 & 22 (K.453 & K.482) with soloist

Kristian Bezuidenhout Kristian Bezuidenhout is an Australian pianist, who specializes in performances on early keyboard instruments. He was born in South Africa in 1979 and grew up in King William's Town in Eastern South Africa. In 1988 his family decided to leave S ...

, fortepiano (Harmonia Mundi 902147) *

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

: Violin Concerto – Symphony No. 5 & The Hebrides. Performed by Isabelle Faust (violin) and Pablo Heras-Casado conducting (Harmonia Mundi 902325)

DVD

External links

Official Freiburger Barockorchester
website
The Freiburger Barockorchester & Mozart : a playlist
All About Mozart {{Authority control Early music orchestras Chamber music groups Freiburg im Breisgau German orchestras Musical groups established in 1987 1987 establishments in West Germany Harmonia Mundi artists Erato Records artists