Frans Brüggen
One of the most important Early Music specialists, Frans Brïuggen, has died at the age of 79. Though very weak since years, he was soldiering on, currently preparing concerts with his Orchestra of the XXth Century planned for end of August in Warsaw. Read more below or go to our Interviews and Features section for a longer article in German.
Known his solo work as flautist in the baroque repertoire, Brüggen also conducted many leading European orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He was a visiting professor at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley.
Born in Amsterdam, Brüggen 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.
He was the conductor of the Radio Kamerorkest from 1991 to 1994, and joint chief conductor of the orchestra, alongside Peter Eötvös, from 2001 until the dissolution of the orchestra in 2005. He was an Emeritus Conductor of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
