Orfeo Orchestra

Based in Budapest, the Orfeo Orchestra is a period instrument ensemble founded by György Vashegyi to perform with the Purcell Choir. It still does so, but it has gone on to perform orchestral music and opera independently of that group. Vashegyi established the period instrument Orfeo Orchestra in 1991 to accompany a performance of Monteverdi's opera Orfeo, the first one in Hungary. In 1998, the Orfeo Orchestra made its recording debut, backing the Purcell Choir on the album Istvánffy: St. Benedict Mass; Kraus: Requiem. As the orchestra developed, it also began to perform and record independently of the Purcell Choir. It was heard on a recording of Rameau's opera Les Fête d'Hébé in 2022.