Freiburger Barockorchester signs with Deutsche Grammophon

The Freiburger Barockorchester (FBO) has signed a long-term project contract with record label Deutsche Grammophon. The partnership will cover the production of a series of albums by the period instrument ensemble.

The FBO’s first release with Deutsche Grammophon will focus on Mozart and his connections with the German city of Mannheim. The disc will also feature world premiere recordings of Christian Danner’s Violin Concerto in F major and works by Carlo Giuseppe Toeschi, Christian Cannabich and Georg Joseph ‘Abbé’ Vogler. 

Hans-Georg Kaiser, FBO’s intendant and managing director, said: ‘We were thrilled when they asked us to create album programmes based around the music of a particular region or historical court. There’s so much great music from before 1800 waiting to be rediscovered’. 

The FBO dates back to 1985, when a group of students at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg came together to study historically informed performance practice and play early works on period instruments. This historical research into the context of each piece informs the orchestra’s performance today. A self-governing ensemble, the FBO often works without a conductor.

The orchestra has received awards including three Jahrespreise der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, two Gramophone Awards, three Edison Classical Music Awards, and a Classical Brit Award.

Deutsche Grammophon’s senior manager artist promotion, Andreas Kluge, said: ‘In my opinion, the Freiburger Barockorchester has surpassed all other period-instrument orchestras for consistency and quality when it comes to innovative programming, musical precision and the sheer joy of performing. Each [concert] has been a voyage of discovery into new, if seemingly familiar territory.’  

You can find out more about Deutsche Grammophon here.

You can find out more about Freiburger Barockorchester here.