Brüggen, Frans (1934– )

Dutch conductor, flautist, and recorder player. He conducted avant-garde ensembles and symphonic music, founding the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century in 1981.

He studied in Amsterdam and became the foremost recorder player of his time, and was also influential as a teacher. As a conductor he favoured original instruments and recorded much baroque music. Performances with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, which comprises some 60 international musicians on period instruments, includes Haydn's ‘London’ Symphony and Beethoven's Ninth at the London Promenade Concerts in 1993.