Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique (ORR) specialises in the music of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It has won plaudits for its stylistic fidelity and intensity of expression in works by major early Romantic composers, from Berlioz to Beethoven, as well as later works by composers ranging from Verdi to Debussy.

In 2003, the ORR gave the first complete staged performances of Berlioz’s Les Troyens in Paris, and in 2019 marked the 150th anniversary of the composer’s death with the first contemporary performances of his opera Benvenuto Cellini on period instruments. In the summer of 2023, the Orchestra, the Monteverdi Choir and a group of outstanding soloists performed Les Troyens on a critically acclaimed European tour, conducted by Dinis Sousa. Their performance at the BBC Proms received five-star reviews from The Times, Financial Times, The Observer, Daily Telegraph and Evening Standard.

Other landmark projects have included Beethoven symphony cycles, Schumann Revealed and Brahms: Root and Memories, in which the Orchestra recorded the complete symphonies of each respective composer. Additionally, the ORR has performed operas by composers including Weber (Oberon and Le Freyschütz), Bizet (Carmen), Chabrier (L’Etoile), Verdi (Falstaff) and Debussy (Pelléas et Mélisande) in new productions in France, Italy and London.

In 2025, the Orchestra embarks on a groundbreaking exploration of Rossini opera on period instruments conducted by specialist Jakob Lehmann, beginning with scenes from Ermione in October. Also in 2025, Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the ORR for performances of Schubert and Mozart, marking the start of another long-term collaboration for the ensemble.

The 2019/20 season marked 30 years since the founding of the ORR by John Eliot Gardiner, as well as the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven. In celebration of these twin milestones, the orchestra embarked on another momentous project, performing a cycle of all nine of the composer’s symphonies in residencies across Europe and the United States.

The London performances were postponed by the pandemic, but in May 2024 the ORR, conducted by Dinis Sousa, performed Beethoven’s complete symphonies at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London and a selection of his symphonies at the Philharmonie de Paris. In its 60th-anniversary year, the Monteverdi Choir joined the ORR for performances of Beethoven’s Mass in C major and Symphony No. 9. The ORR’s recordings of Beethoven’s symphonies have been described as a “tour de force…played at white heat”, “glorious” and “magnificent” by Gramophone magazine.

“The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique - the sound of the old instruments is simply stunning.” – BR Klassik