Why is the orchestra called “The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment”?
We are a period instrument orchestra named after the age in European history known as The Enlightenment, an era spanning the late seventeenth, eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This was a time of great experimentation and innovation, a period during which instruments, techniques and also the form of musical performance developed greatly. So the name has a double resonance for us: we perform music mainly of that period using as a starting point our knowledge of the instruments, styles and techniques of the day, but we also aim to capture the spirit of innovation and enquiry which characterises those centuries. This is not a short name. Many people therefore refer to us simply as the OAE. 2. What is a period instrument orchestra? Musical instruments have developed a huge amount over the centuries. As the instruments have changed so have the sounds, and also the whole nature of musical gesture. Sometimes these changes are rather superficial, but often they can make a fundamental
