Cappella Coloniensis

German Baroque Orchestra

Cappella Coloniensis was a German orchestra founded in 1954 by the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR, West German Broadcasting) in Cologne. It is recognized as one of the first orchestras to specialize in historically informed performance, playing on period instruments or replicas thereof. The ensemble focused on music from the 17th and 18th centuries, aiming to recreate the sounds and styles that would have been familiar to audiences of that time. Over the years, Cappella Coloniensis collaborated with many distinguished conductors and soloists, contributing significantly to the early music revival movement. Their repertoire included works by composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Handel, among others. The orchestra's recordings of Haydn's London Symphonies are a testament to their expertise in interpreting classical repertoire with historical accuracy and musical finesse.