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 '', excerpt from a 1942 recording under the direction of
Otto Frickhoeffer (
Hellmut Schwebs as Gurnemanz) 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 Schoenberg,
Béla Bartók,
Igor Stravinsky,
Anton Webern and
Paul Hindemith participated in the Radio Frankfurt concerts. Schoenberg wrote radio lectures for Radio Frankfurt. In 1937,
Otto Frickhoeffer was sent by the
NSDAP. 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 :
Symphony No. 1, second movement excerpt from a 1995 recording under the direction of 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 (Symphony 3/4/8,
Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, 1983) and the first digital recording of all of
Gustav Mahler's symphonies (Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, 1988). Inbal, who was chief conductor from 1974 to 1990, has been elected its conductor laureate since 1996. The venue Alte Oper was reopened in 1981. His recordings include orchestral works by
Scriabin and the piano concertos by
Prokofiev. :
Symphonie fantastique, second movement excerpt from a 2000 recording under the direction of Hugh Wolff 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 in the
San Sebastián Kursaal 2013 :
Symphony No. 3, third movement, excerpt from a 2006 recording under the direction of 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. He made complete recordings of Bruckner's and Nielsen's symphonies. 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 2023 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. In November 2024, the orchestra's YouTube channel reached 500,000 subscribers. ==Engagements==