B'Rock Orchestra is a Belgian period ensemble created in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

in 2005. It combines works by established

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

composers like

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

and

Georg Friedrich Händel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well-known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

with the lesser-known repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries like

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

Alessandro Scarlatti Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque music, Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan sch ...

and

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Giovanni Battista Draghi (; 4 January 1710 – 16 or 17 March 1736), usually referred to as Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (), was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and organist, leading exponent of the Baroque; he is considered one of the g ...

. In addition, the orchestra focuses on giving first performances of new music written with its historic instruments in mind. The orchestra also has a reputation for cross-genre productions like

Early Music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

in combination with

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

visual art The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and texti ...

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and/or

video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

History

The orchestra was set up in

in 2005 on the initiative of

harpsichordist A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord. Harpsichordists may play as soloists, as accompanists, as chamber musicians, or as members of an orchestra, or some combination of these roles. Solo harpsichordists may play unaccompanied son ...

Frank Agsteribbe, double bass player Tom Devaere and managers Hendrik Storme and Tomas Bisschop. The basis was an urge for renewal in the world of

. B'Rock Orchestra does not work with one conductor but engages guest conductors, soloists and choirs. The orchestra gives about 45 concerts every season, both in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and abroad. In 2012, B'Rock Orchestra made its debut at Royal Opera De Munt/La Monnaie in Brussels with the opera Orlando by

Händel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, Han ...

under the baton of

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 musi ...

. B'Rock was voted 'Ensemble of the Year 2015' by the Belgian classical radio channel

Klara Klara may refer to: * Klara, a female given name, see Clara (given name) * Klara (radio), a classical-music radio station in Belgium * Klara (singer), birth name ...

. B'Rock Orchestra has developed long-term links with production and presentation partners such as DE SINGEL International Arts Centre (Antwerp, BE), Muziektheater Transparant (Antwerpen, BE),

KASK Kask or KASK may refer to: * Kask (surname) * Kask, Kerman, a village in Kerman Province, Iran * Kask, Zanjan, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran *Asta Kask Asta Kask is a Swedish punk band from Töreboda, Sweden, founded in 1978. Asta Kask pla ...

& Conservatorium Ghent (BE), International Opera Academy (Ghent, BE), and

Opéra de Rouen The Rouen Opera House, formally known as Rouen Normandy Opera House - Theatre of Arts (French: ''Opéra de Rouen Normandie - Théâtre des arts'') is a French opera house located in Rouen, Normandy. It is home to the Rouen Philharmonic Orchestra. ...

(FR). They are regular guests at, among others, Concertgebouw Brugge (BE), Muziekcentrum De Bijloke (Ghent, BE),

Bozar The Centre for Fine Arts (, ; , ) is a multi-purpose cultural venue in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. It is often referred to as BOZAR (a homophone of ''Beaux-arts'') in French or by its initials PSK in Dutch. This multidisciplinary s ...

(Brussels, BE),

Concertgebouw Concertgebouw may refer to one of the following concert halls: * Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands * Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium * Concertgebouw de Vereeniging, Netherlands {{disambiguation Buildings and structures disambiguation pages ...

and Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ Amsterdam (NL), Amare Den Haag (NL),

Kölner Philharmonie The Kölner Philharmonie is a symphonic concert hall located in Cologne, Germany. It is part of the building ensemble of the Museum Ludwig and was opened in 1986. The Kölner Philharmonie is located close to the Cologne Cathedral and the Köln ...

(DE), Beethovenfest Bonn (DE), and Opéra Grand Avignon (FR).

Recordings

* 2008:

''Suites for Strings'' * 2009:

''Concerti grossi, Ouvertures'' * 2010: David Petersen ''Speelstukken'' * 2011:

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayi ...

''8 Seasons'' * 2014:

''Orlando'' with René Jacobs * 2015:

''Der Messias'' with Peter Dijkstra *2018:

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

''Symphonies 1 & 6'' with René Jacobs *2020:

''Symphonies 2 & 3'' with René Jacobs *2021:

''Symphonies 4 & 5'' with René Jacobs *2022:

''Unfinished and Great Symphonies'' with René Jacobs *2022: Philippus van Steelant ''Antwerp Requiem c. 1650'' with CantoLX en Frank Agsteribbe *2023:

''Water & Fire'' with Dmitri Sinkovsky *2024: Box set of the complete Schubert recordings with René Jacobs

References

External links

Website of B'Rock Orchestra
{{authority control Baroque music Belgian orchestras