Cristofori, was established in 1995 by Arthur Schoonderwoerd, its musical director. Its musicians perform on period instruments in chamber or orchestral settings, exploring the repertoire from the 18th to the 21st centuries. The name is inspired by that of the great Florentine keyboard instrument maker of the early 18th century, Bartolomeo Cristofori. The ensemble aims to familiarize a wide audience with performance on period instruments.
Ensemble size and composition are determined by the repertoire performed and range from a duo to an orchestra with singers. Based on meticulous research, Cristofori’s sensitive and colorful interpretations present new and sometimes revolutionary ideas on organology, improvisation, basso continuo, counterpoint and orchestral balance.
Cristofori performs in prestigious venues and festivals across Europe such as the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris, the Auditorium du Louvre, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Amsterdam
Concertgebouw, the Moscow Early Music Festival, Bruges, Barcelona, Regensburg, Innsbruck, Madrid, the Besançon International Festival, The Beethovenfeste Bonn, etc.
The internationally acclaimed discography of Cristofori includes one of the most innovative recordings of Beethoven’s piano concertos on period instruments. Since 2012, Cristofori has recorded half of the complete Mozart concertos for fortepiano (Accent). In 2021 a new project around the complete symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven will appear on the Avi-music label.
