Franc Polman

My name is Franc Polman, and I have been playing the violin with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century since 2000. I have gained a great deal of experience playing with various orchestras and ensembles, including Musica Antiqua Köln, Les Musiciens du Louvre and The Raglan Baroque Players. Chamber music is my great passion, and with the Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet I have made unique recordings of nine Romantic piano quintets in the special instrumentation for piano, violin, viola, violoncello and double bass. I am also the second violinist of the Narratio Quartet, with whom we are recording all 17 string quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven on CD and regularly go on tour. I also run an active teaching practice and give various courses in chamber music and ensemble playing, such as the annual ‘Woudschoten’ Summer Course and the Summer Academy in Zutphen.

I could already read music and play the recorder by the age of four, but I started playing the violin relatively late, at the age of nine. I soon began playing in ensembles with others, and my mother encouraged me to attend concerts. There I was introduced to symphonies, conductors and soloists. I realise how lucky I was to grow up that way. I knew for certain: music is my calling, and I want to devote myself to it with all my heart and soul. That feeling has never left me.

Frans Brüggen was already a famous figure back in the 1960s. The first time I heard him play was when he was conducting the Overijssels Philharmonic Orchestra in Enschede. Later, whilst I was studying in Amsterdam, I heard Frans and O18c in concerts playing Mozart and Rameau. It was overwhelming. But what made the greatest impression was a series of Beethoven symphonies at the Concertgebouw. I hadn’t realised that those symphonies could breathe so freely, move so fluidly and possess such a rich palette of colours. It was a revelation. It was a dream come true to join the orchestra and make music under Frans’s baton. With his large hands, he let us play freely. O18c is a diverse collection of rebels. Because of our personal connection to the music, but also to one another, we don’t sound like your average symphony orchestra. Seeking expression and not averse to experimentation, we continue to follow that path. We are a family, with all the pros and cons that entails. For me, the orchestra is breathing; it’s a way of life.

I am particularly interested in Dutch string instruments by Hendrik Jacobs, Pieter Rombouts, Jean-Baptiste Levebvre and Johannes Cuypers. The Dutch painters of the Golden Age enjoy an incredible reputation. I was convinced that Dutch string instruments from that period must possess the same quality, and I was surprised that these instruments were not considered to be of such importance. I bought my first Jacobs violin in London, and I was immediately hooked. I also found an original Tourte bow, and I’ve been a keen collector ever since. These original instruments have a great deal to teach us about how music can be performed, and they are a source of inspiration.

I live in the centre of Amsterdam, but can often be found in the east of the country. That’s where my roots lie, and where I enjoy nature and the fine traditions of the Twente region with family and friends.