The Breath of the Orchestra

Considered by many to be a genius, the recently deceased Dutch conductor Frans Brüggen founded the Orchestra of the 18th Century in 1981. The musicians – all of them specialists in the music of the 18th and early 19th centuries – play on original instruments from that era or copies of these in order to get as close as possible to what the composers intended. According to one of the musicians, they are seeking to push the limits of what's possible in music. Pieced together from conversations with the Maestro, co-founder Sieuwert Verster and musicians, as well as recordings from rehearsals and concerts in the Chopin and his Europe Festival in Warsaw, Katarzyna Kasica’s intimate film conveys the unique ambience of the work and friendship of this exceptional group of people, bound by their passion and joy in experiencing music together. As a conductor, the shy Brüggen is no lion-tamer, but rather a gentle magician who inspires the orchestra by telling a story or describing a metaphor for each piece of music. The interviews are fleshed out with footage from a rehearsal with famous pianists Martha Argerich and Maria João Pires, and performances of Chopin's and .