NDA RESEARCH LAB

The NDA Research Lab fuels the NDA’s concert programmes, multidisciplinary projects and CD recordings.

The activities of the NDA Research Lab aim to give new insights into 18th century music through re-discovering, re-evaluating and re-introducing lost, forgotten or ignored repertoire. And through taking fresh looks at historical performance practices, musical aesthetics, instruments and instrumentation.

We research into the birth and formation of the symphony and symphony orchestra at the court in Mannheim in the middle of the 18th century (as part of the NDA’s Mannheim Project) and the symphony in Holland in the 18th century (as part of the NDA’s Dutch Music Project).

The NDA’s research has resulted in the realisation of, amongst other things:

  • Modern day world-premiere concert performances of symphonic works by 18th century composers (including) Stamitz, Richter, Holzbauer, Schmitt, Zappa, Graaf, Colizzi, Spangenberg and Schwindl
  • Radio, TV and Internet broadcasts of live peformances of new(ly discovered) repertoire
  • Innovative concert programmes with new repertoire and new perspectives
  • The first ever CD of symphonies and chamber music by “The Dutch Haydn” Joseph Schmitt
  • The first ever CD documenting the symphony at the 18th century Court of Orange in The Hague
  • World Premiere CD recordings of symphonies by Zappa, Graaf, Schwindl, C Stamitz, Abel and Reichardt
  • World Premiere CD recordings of symphonies from the Mannheimer Schule by Stamitz and Richter
  • Modern scholarly performance editions of previously unavailable symphonic and chamber music
  • The successful reconstruction of Bach’s own Cello – the Violoncello Piccolo
  • Documentaries disseminating the findings of the Research Lab
  • Contributions to Scholarly Conferences and Publications on 18th century Art, Music, Society and Aesthetics