British occupation authorities founded the orchestra after
World War II as part of
Radio Hamburg (NWDR), which was the only radio station in what would become
West Germany not destroyed during the war. The first musicians came mostly from the ranks of the old
Nazi-controlled
Großes Rundfunkorchester des Reichssenders Hamburg.
Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, who was living near Hamburg, was given the task of assembling the members, something he accomplished over a period of six months. Schmidt-Isserstedt conducted the orchestra's first concert in November 1945, with
Yehudi Menuhin as
soloist. Schmidt-Isserstedt served as the first chief conductor of the orchestra, through 1971. The orchestra first visited the UK in 1951, as part of the concerts celebrating the re-opening in
Manchester of the
Free Trade Hall. In addition to its performances of the core classical and romantic repertoire by composers such as
Beethoven and
Bruckner, the orchestra also has a focus on contemporary works by
Bernd Alois Zimmermann,
Wolfgang Rihm and
Hans Werner Henze. It rose to particular significance during the chief conductorship of
Günter Wand, from 1982 to 1990. Wand conducted several commercial recordings with the orchestra for the
RCA Victor Red Seal and
EMI labels. The orchestra has also recorded for the
Deutsche Grammophon and CPO labels.
Thomas Hengelbrock became chief conductor of the orchestra with the 2011–2012 season, with an initial contract of three years. In January 2017, the orchestra took up its new residence at the newly opened
Elbphilharmonie, and formally changed its name to the
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester. In June 2017, the orchestra announced the scheduled conclusion of Hengelbrock's tenure with the ensemble at the close of the 2018–2019 season.
Alan Gilbert had served as principal guest conductor of the orchestra from 2004 to 2015. In June 2017, the orchestra announced the appointment of Gilbert as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2019–2020 season, with an initial contract of 5 seasons. He took the title of chief conductor-designate in the autumn of 2017. In December 2017, Hengelbrock expressed his displeasure with the timing of the announcement of Gilbert as his designated successor, within the same month as the original announcement of the previously scheduled conclusion of his tenure. Hengelbrock thus announced his intention to stand down as chief conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra at the end of the 2017–2018 season, one season earlier than originally planned. Other principal guest conductors of the orchestra have included
Krzysztof Urbanski, who served from 2015 to 2020. In February 2023, the orchestra announced the extension of Gilbert's contract as chief conductor through the summer of 2029. ==Principal conductors==