The Frankfurt Radio Symphony is the radio orchestra of Hessischer Rundfunk, the public broadcasting network of the German state of Hesse. Venues are Alte Oper and hr-Sendesaal. Music director is the French conductor Alain Altinoglu. Chief conductors have brought in Russian, Nordic and French influences. The orchestra has been one of the leading Mahler and Bruckner orchestras internationally. The hr-Sinfonieorchester with 108 musicians is the third oldest in the ARD.

History

Names

From 1929 to 1950 the orchestra was named Frankfurter Rundfunk-Symphonie-Orchester. From 1950 to 1971 the orchestra was named Sinfonie-Orchester des Hessischen Rundfunks, from then to 2005 Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt. Frankfurt Radio Symphony is used for international tours (First tour: United States 1980, Japan 1987, China 2003).

Founding and early years

The orchestra was founded in 1929. Hans Rosbaud, its first conductor, put his stamp on the orchestra's orientation up to the year 1937 by focusing not only on traditional music but also contemporary compositions. Alban Berg, Arnold Schönberg, Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Anton Webern and Paul Hindemith participated in the Radio Frankfurt concerts. Schönberg wrote radio lectures for Radio Frankfurt. In 1937, Otto Frickhoeffer was sent by the NSDAP. He performed only German music. After World War II, Kurt Schröder and Winfried Zillig committed themselves to rebuilding the orchestra and a broad musical repertoire. The venue hr-Sendesaal was ready for use in 1954. In the opening ceremony, Karl Böhm conducted Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

Dean Dixon and Eliahu Inbal

Dean Dixon and Eliahu Inbal turned the ensemble into an internationally acclaimed orchestra in the three decades from 1961 to 1990. Dixon's repertoire included Hans Werner Henze, Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Carl Nielsen, Franz Berwald and Charles Ives. The status of the orchestra has been repeatedly confirmed, especially during the "Inbal Era", with guest appearances around the world and major editions of recorded music, such as the very first recordings of the original versions of Anton Bruckner symphonies and the first digital recording of all of Gustav Mahler's symphonies (Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, Grand Prix du Disque). Inbal, who was chief conductor from 1974 to 1990, has been elected its conductor laureate since 1996. The venue Alte Oper was opened in 1981.

Dmitri Kitajenko and Hugh Wolff

From 1990 to 1996, Dmitri Kitajenko was chief conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. His work focused on the German and Russian traditions, as well as modern styles. His recordings include orchestral works by Scriabin and the piano concertos by Prokofiev. The American conductor Hugh Wolff was chief conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to 2006. He experimented with historical performance practice.

Paavo Järvi

The Estonian Paavo Järvi held the position of music director for the Frankfurt Radio Symphony from 2006 to 2013 and assumed the position of conductor laureate at the beginning of the 2013–2014 season. Järvi enriched the orchestra with new musical aspects through his commitment to Nordic repertoire. For example the music of Jean Sibelius, Eduard Tubin, Arvo Pärt and Erkki-Sven Tüür. He made complete recordings of Bruckner's and Nielsen's symphonies. In 2012, an own YouTube channel was established.

Andrés Orozco-Estrada

Colombian conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada became the orchestra's music director in 2014. Orozco-Estrada made a number of recordings for the Pentatone label. A key focus of Orozco-Estrada's tenure was on Viennese Classicism and Romanticism.

Alain Altinoglu

In December 2019, the orchestra announced the appointment of Alain Altinoglu as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with an initial contract of three years. In May 2023, the Hessischer Rundfunk announced an extension of Altinoglu's contract as the orchestra's chief conductor through the 2027–2028 season. Altinoglu's first years were accentuated by his commitment for French repertoire. Program focus of the 2023–2024 season was Nature & Earth. , a Shostakovich cycle is ongoing. Since November 2024, the orchestras YouTube channel has over 500,000 subscribers.

Engagements

Europa Open Air

In August, the traditional season opening of the hr-Sinfonieorchester together with the European Central Bank is the Europa Open Air concert at the riverbank of the Main. The 2023 concert with 16,500 visitors was the fifth Europa Open Air. ARD was the broadcaster of the concert.

Rheingau Musik Festival

The Rheingau Musik Festival is traditionally opened in Eberbach Abbey by a concert of the hr-Sinfonieorchester, radio broadcast live.

Repertoire

The orchestra's range of musical styles includes the classical-romantic repertoire and premieres of contemporary classical music ("Große Reihe", formerly hr-Sinfoniekonzerte), Baroque ("Barock+") and contemporary, experimental music ("Forum N").

Venues

Principal conductors

Conductors laureate

Notable guest conductors

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Artists in Residence

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Notable premieres

In 1928, before the official foundation of the orchestra, Hindemith's Kammermusik Nr. 7 Op. 46, No. 2 was premiered. Followed by the premiere of Schönberg's Four Orchestral Songs, Op. 22 in 1932. In 1933, Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2 premiered, with the composer as soloist.

Discography

Rheingau Musik Festival

Europa Open Air