Founded in 1986, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is one of the world's freshest-sounding ensembles. As the choice of name suggests, they concentrate on works from the second half of the 18th century, though they of course also play works by earlier and later composers. Operating without a permanent conductor or artistic director, the ensemble invites the most sought-after conductors to work with them, and their frequent guests of recent times include John Butt, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Simon Rattle, Iván Fischer, and Vladimir Jurowski. They elected William Christie and Sir Roger Norrington as their honorary conductors.

The orchestra comprises instrumentalists with great soloist skills, like Roger Montgomery. His horn solos, informed by the Baroque art of ornamentation and the classical culture of improvisation, have already impressed us on a number of records.

Presented by: Budapest Spring Festival