How can historical research change the way we perform romantic music today?
COURSE OFFERED SPRING 2027
Course level: Undergraduate and Graduate
Faculty: Johannes Leertouwer
Contact: j.leertouwer@me.com
Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Historically Informed Performance of Romantic Repertoire
COURSE DESCRIPTION
How can historical research change the way we perform romantic music today?
This course explores the rapidly developing field of Historically Informed Performance Practice for Nineteenth-century Repertoire. Focusing on Brahms, Beethoven, and their contemporaries, students investigate how historical documents, early recordings, instruments, and historical performing traditions can offer fresh perspectives on familiar works.
Drawing on current artistic research, students engage with questions of tempo, phrasing, ensemble interaction, expressive timing, and interpretation — and discover how forgotten nineteenth-century expressive tools can be re-invented and applied in performance today. Topics include the relationship between artistic research and performance practice in some of Leertouwer’s recent and ongoing projects involving both orchestral works and chamber music.
Designed for performers, researchers, and curious musicians alike, the course treats interpretation not as fixed tradition but as ongoing artistic inquiry.
Credits: 2 ECTS/ 2 US Credits
Maximum Participants: 20 students
Course Format:
- 1 introductory live session
- 5 asynchronous learning modules
- 3 live online workshops and coaching sessions
- 1 concluding live discussion