Frans Brüggen

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Frans Bruggen (1969) Frans Bruggen (1969).jpg
Frans Brüggen (1969)

Franciscus ("Frans") Jozef Brüggen (30 October 1934 – 13 August 2014) was a Dutch conductor, recorder player and baroque flautist.

Contents

Biography

Born in Amsterdam, Brüggen was the last of the nine children of August Brüggen, a textile factory owner, and his wife Johanna (née Verkley), an amateur singer. [1] He studied recorder and flute at the Amsterdam Muzieklyceum. He also studied musicology at the University of Amsterdam. In 1955, at the age of 21, he was appointed professor at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. His reputation was initially as a recorder and Baroque flute virtuoso, and he commissioned several works for recorder including Luciano Berio's Gesti (1965). [2] In 1972, he co-founded the avant-garde recorder ensemble Sour Cream with Kees Boeke and Walter van Hauwe. [3] [4]

Brüggen introduced a flexibility of tone and rhythm to solo recorder playing that was novel to historically informed performance practice at the time. Notes in slow passages would be slightly bent for emotional affect, tone warmed and cooled, messa di voce employed, alongside considerable use of rubato. [3] Such approaches provoked some controversy at the time, but in part due to his use of them, have since become more commonplace.

In 1981, Brüggen co-founded with Sieuwert Verster the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century (Orkest van de Achttiende Eeuw). [5] Although he did not have a formal title with the orchestra, he was its de facto chief conductor until his death. [2] The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) named Brüggen its co-principal guest conductor, in parallel with Simon Rattle, in 1992. The OAE later gave him the title of Emeritus Conductor in 2007. He was the conductor of the Radio Kamerorkest in the Netherlands from 1991 to 1994, and joint chief conductor of the orchestra, alongside Péter Eötvös, from 2001 until the dissolution of the orchestra in 2005. Brüggen conducted the final concert of the successor to the Radio Kamerorkest, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, on 14 July 2013.

Brüggen was a visiting professor at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley.

His recordings include, as a flautist, selections from the Pièces de Clavecin en Concerts of Jean-Philippe Rameau, [6] and as a conductor, Instrumental Suites of Rameau's operas (Dardanus, Les Boréales, Castor & Pollux, Les Indes galantes, Naïs, Zoroastre, Les Fêtes d'Hébé, Acante et Céphise), symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven, [7] Joseph Haydn, [8] Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

Brüggen was married twice. His first marriage to Ineke Verwayen produced two daughters, Laura and Alicia. [9] His second marriage was to the art historian Machtelt Israëls, and produced two daughters, Zephyr and Eos. [10] Brüggen was the uncle of recorder soloist and Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet member, Daniël Brüggen.

Honours and awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolaus Harnoncourt</span> Austrian conductor (1929–2016)

Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt was an Austrian conductor, known for his historically informed performances. He specialized in music of the Baroque period, but later extended his repertoire to include Classical and early Romantic works. Among his best known recordings are those of Bach, whose 193 cantatas he recorded with Gustav Leonhardt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Haitink</span> Dutch conductor (1929–2021)

Bernard Johan Herman Haitink was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to London, as principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1967 to 1979, music director at Glyndebourne Opera from 1978 to 1988 and of the Royal Opera House from 1987 to 2002, when he became principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. Finally, he was principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2010. The focus of his prolific recording was classical symphonies and orchestral works, but he also conducted operas. He conducted 90 concerts at The Proms in London, the last on 3 September 2019 with the Vienna Philharmonic. His awards include Grammy Awards and the 2015 Gramophone Award for his lifetime achievements.

The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century is a Dutch early music orchestra. Frans Brüggen and Lucy van Dael co-founded the orchestra in 1981. Sieuwert Verster became financial manager in 1984. Although he did not have a formal title with the orchestra, Brüggen served as the de facto principal conductor of the orchestra from its founding until his death in 2014. Verster has served as the orchestra's manager since its founding.

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is a British period instrument orchestra. The OAE is a resident orchestra of the Southbank Centre, London, associate orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera Artistic Associate at Kings Place, and has its headquarters at Acland Burghley School. The leadership is rotated between four musicians: Matthew Truscott, Kati Debretzeni, Huw Daniel and Margaret Faultless.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ton Koopman</span> Dutch conductor and harpsichordist (b. 1944)

Antonius Gerhardus Michael Koopman, known professionally as Ton Koopman, is a Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, primarily known for being the founder and director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Herreweghe</span> Belgian conductor

Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster.

Lucy van Dael is a Dutch baroque violinist and member of the faculty of the Amsterdam Conservatory. Her principal violin studies were at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.

Jorge Isaac completed his professional training under with Walter van Hauwe at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2000. In 2002, Isaac received his Master's degree in contemporary performance and live electronics at the same institution. In 2006 he was appointed as Professor of recorder at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, carrying on the famous Amsterdam Recorder School.

Johannette Zomer is a Dutch classical concert and opera soprano.

Harry van der Kamp is a Dutch bass singer in opera and concert. Mostly active in Historically informed performance, he founded the Gesualdo Ensemble. He is also an academic voice teacher.

Patrick Van Goethem is a Belgian countertenor, known for performing early music.

Bas Ramselaar is a Dutch bass singer and conductor.

Leonhardt-Consort, also known as the Leonhardt Baroque Ensemble, was a group of instrumentalists which its director, the keyboard player Gustav Leonhardt founded in 1955 to play baroque music. The Consort was active until around 1990, although some members including Leonhardt himself continued to perform after that date.

The New Dutch Academy (NDA) is an international Dutch Baroque orchestra based in The Hague, the Netherlands. It is composed of 40 international, early music, specialist musicians, who gather in The Hague to explore 18th-century music in all of its forms, including symphonic, chamber, opera and ballet. It performs exclusively on authentic instruments.

Simon Francis Murphy is a Dutch-based, Australian conductor and viola player with a focus on the music of the 18th and early 19th centuries. He is originally from Balmain, Sydney, Australia.

Orlanda Velez Isidro is a Portuguese classically trained coloratura soprano. Her preferred genre of music is Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. Since completing her education in Portugal and the Netherlands, she has lived and performed in the Netherlands.

Ricardo Kanji is a Brazilian recorder player, flutist, conductor, and luthier. For twelve years, he was a professor at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague. He is a member of the Orchestra of the 18th Century, and the choir and orchestra Vox Brasiliensis.

Hidemi Suzuki is a Japanese cellist and conductor.

Alexis Kossenko is a French contemporary flautist, conductor and musicologist.

Kristian Bezuidenhout is an Australian pianist, who specializes in performances on early keyboard instruments.

References

  1. Vivien Schweitzer (2014-08-25). "Frans Brüggen, Pioneer in Early Music, Dies at 79". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
  2. 1 2 J.M. Thomson. "Brüggen, Frans", Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed 16 August 2014 (subscription required)
  3. 1 2 Barry Millington (2014-08-17). "Frans Brüggen obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
  4. Guido van Oorschot (2014-08-13). "Frans Brüggen (1934-2014): blokfluitist in sportwagen". De Volksrant. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
  5. Daniel J. Wakin (2008-06-30). "In Italy, 'Eroica' Energizes a Frail Fixture of Period Music". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  6. Bernard Holland (2000-04-07). "Paying Court to a Wry Master of the French Baroque". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  7. John Rockwell (1993-01-31). "Beethoven, as He Passed Down Through the Centuries". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  8. John Rockwell (1994-04-17). "Contrasting Temperaments Battle in Haydn Warhorses". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  9. "Afscheid van "tovenaar" Frans Brüggen in Oude Kerk Amsterdam". Reformatorisch Dagblad. 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
  10. Machtelt Israëls, ed. (2009). "Introduction". Sassetta: the Borgo San Sepolcro altarpiece. Volume 1. Primavera Press, Leiden. p. 19. ISBN   978-0-674-03523-2.
  11. 1 2 Jaco van der Knijff (2014-08-14). "Afscheid In memoriam Frans Brüggen (1934-2014)". Reformatorisch Dagblad. Retrieved 2014-08-30.