Since my youth I have been collecting fine string instruments of the 16th to the 18th Centuries. The collection today has been classified by international experts as “unique in the world”. It comprises over 170 choice violins, violas, violoncellos, violas da gamba, violas d’amore, barytons and historical bows created from 1570 to 1780, all of which are faithfully restored to the original measurements and playable; these instruments are regularly lent to professional musicians and outstanding students for recordings, competitions, auditions and concerts. This is why the collection, besides being a precious patrimony for mankind, represents also a living and vital heritage for our society today.
The Orpheon Foundation proposes to bring this cultural heritage closer to the public of today, in various ways: through exhibitions, concert cyles on historical musical instruments, courses and seminars.
In 2007 the European Commission for Culture financed a very substantial project of the Orpheon Foundation (Culture-2000 Mozart Call), to present exhibitions, concert cycles and courses in Vienna and Salzburg. The commissars of the European Community in Brussels were so pleased with the results achieved that they encouraged us to submit further projects.
The year 2009 will celebrate three illustrious composers: Henry Purcell (born 1659), Georg Friedrich Händel († 1759) and Joseph Haydn († 1809), whose musical creations fall within the proscribed limits of the Vázquez-Collection. Our new project for 2009-2010 will feature these celebrated masters. The project, which will be financed in part (50%) by the European Community, will consist of:
– Exhibitions of the collections
– Concert cycles on the historical instruments of the collections
– Courses on performance practice, using the instruments of the collection
We are seeking partners for the presentation of this project all over Europe and would appreciate your help in the search. It is, indeed, the true aim of such projects of the European Union to bring this cultural heritage closer to as many countries as possible, in order to establish long-term cooperative efforts: a prospect well worth considering.
Prof. José Vázquez
Orpheon Foundation
