Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester) is among the best European orchestras today. 85 years after its formation, the long-standing German radio orchestra plays convincingly in all styles and periods – from Baroque to contemporary avant-garde – reflecting the ensemble’s flexibility, open-mindedness and high technical excellence. With a wide variety of concerts and CD releases, the symphony orchestra of the Hessischer Rundfunk (German Public Radio of Hesse) has celebrated worldwide success and is a prestigious guest on renowned international stages such as at the »Proms« in London, the »Concertgebouw« in Amsterdam, and in places like Vienna, Salzburg, Paris, Budapest and Prague, Japan and China.
Rising to prominence in the 1980s with its ground-breaking CD recordings, which set new standards in the Romantic and Late Romantic repertoire, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra is considered an internationally leading Mahler and Bruckner Orchestra. This musical tradition, initiated by Eliahu Inbal, has shone through under the aegis of Musical Directors Dmitri Kitaenko and Hugh Wolff into the musical work of Paavo Järvi, the current Conductor Laureate.
From its very inception in 1929, the orchestra displayed a firm commitment to both traditional and contemporary music under its first Musical Director Hans Rosbaud. Following the war and during reconstruction, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra grew with Kurt Schröder, Winfried Zillig and Otto Matzerath at the helm, finally achieving international standing between the 1960s and 1980s under Dean Dixon and Eliahu Inbal, with guest performances worldwide and the production of multi-award-winning records.
Famed for its outstanding wind section, its rich string sound and its culture of dynamic performances, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra now offers a broad spectrum of styles. Together with its Musical Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada, the ensemble is associated not only with musical excellence but also an interesting and varied repertoire. Experiments and discoveries, both in the area of old and new music, and collaboration with top-class conductors and soloists is just as much a part of its artistic profile as the cross-border Music Discovery Project and numerous well-received children and youth projects.
The hr-Sinfonieorchester was 2013 part of the Ruhrtriennale, when it played the orchestra part of the very successful performance of Helmut Lachenmanns „Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern“ in the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum.