Orchestre National de France
The Orchestre National de France has been associated with French national radio broadcasting for much of its career. It also lives up to its name, giving concerts around France in addition to those at its home venues in Paris.
The Orchestre National de France, or ONF, was founded in 1934 by Radio France as the Orchestre National, giving its first concert at the Paris Conservatory. Its first conductor was Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht. In 1939, many of the orchestra's musicians were conscripted into the French army. The rest of the group moved to the city of Rennes but disbanded when that city was bombed. The orchestra was reconstituted in Marseilles by the collaborationist Vichy government in 1941; Jewish musicians were banned. The orchestra returned to Paris in 1943 and the following year, gave its first concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, where it continues to perform today. It also appears at the Salle Olivier Messiaen at the Maison de Radio France. All of the group's roughly 70 annual concerts are broadcast on the French national radio network ORTF. The orchestra has changed its name several times. When independent French radio was reestablished in 1945, it became the Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française, and in 1949 the Orchestre national de la Radio-télévision française or Orchestre national de la RTF. In 1964, the group took on the cumbersome name of Orchestre national de l'Office de radiodiffusion-télévision française or Orchestre national de l'ORTF, shortened in 1975 to the present name. Manuel Rosenthal replaced Inghelbrecht in 1944, and after the war, he restored French and contemporary programming that had been banned under German rule. Major conductors have included Jean Martinon (1968-1973), Lorin Maazel (1988-1990), Charles Dutoit (1991-2001), Kurt Masur (2002-2007), Daniele Gatti (2008-2016), Emmanuel Krivine (2017-2020), and, as of 2020, Cristian Măcelaru. The group has spent considerable periods without a chief conductor, and during those times has attracted an A-list of international guest conductors that included Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, and Georg Solti. Guest soloists have been similarly prestigious, with Martha Argerich, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Yo-Yo Ma numbered among them.
The ONF has recorded prolifically for Erato, EMI, Naïve, and other labels. The group has often premiered and recorded contemporary French works but also issues recordings of the standard repertory, not all of it French. In the late 2010s, the orchestra moved to Erato partner Warner Classics, issuing a recording of Alexandre Desplat's Airlines in 2020.
© James Manheim /TiVo
-
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major; Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major (Paul Paray: The Mercury Masters II, Volume 22)
Monique Haas, Orchestre National de France, Paul Paray
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Jan 1, 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: Ma Mere L'oye - Pavane
Eliahu Inbal, Orchestre National de France
Classical - Released by Denon on Jan 1, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Festival de Montreux, G. F. Haendel - W. A. Mozart - C. Debussy - A. Roussel, Concert du 15/09/1959, Orchestre National de la RTF, Charles Munch (dir), Clara Haskil (piano)
Orchestre national de la RTF and Charles Munch
Classical - Released by Ina, musique(s) on Nov 22, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, M. 82: III. Tempo I
Alexandre Tharaud, Orchestre National de France, Louis Langrée
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Sep 29, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Albeniz - Ravel - de Falla - Chabrier - Granados - Debussy, Concert du 19/03/1959, Orchestre national de la RTF, D.E. Inghelbrecht (dir), Conxita Badia (s)
Orchestre national de la RTF and Désiré Emile Inghelbrecht
Classical - Released by Ina, musique(s) on May 1, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy : Ouvres orchestrales (II)
Orchestre National de France, Jean Martinon
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on May 1, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Falla: Noches en los jardines de España: II. Danza Lejana
Alexandre Tharaud, Orchestre National de France, Louis Langrée
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Sep 8, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Poulenc: Gloria/Litanies à la Vièrge Noire/Stabat Mater
R.T.F. Choeur De Radio France, R.T.F. Maitrise De Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Charles Dutoit
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach - Beethoven - Brahms, Concert du 27/10/1958, Orchestre National de la RTF, André Cluytens (dir), David Oistrakh (violon)
Orchestre national de la RTF and André Cluytens featuring David Oistrakh
Classical - Released by Ina, musique(s) on Nov 22, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rudi Stephan: Die ersten Menschen
Orchestre national de France, Mikko Franck, Rudi Stephan
Classical - Released by naïve classique on Mar 24, 2014
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Times (Complete Orchestral Works)
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Besançon, Orchestre Poitou-Charentes, Orchestre National de France
Classical - Released by AEON on Mar 31, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Poulenc: Orchestral Works 2
Pascal Rogé, Orchestre National de France, Charles Dutoit
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud - Stravinski - Chabrier, Orchestre National de la RTF, Concert du 13/12/1955, D. E. Inghelbrecht (dir)
Orchestre national de la RTF and Désiré Emile Inghelbrecht
Classical - Released by Ina, musique(s) on Feb 1, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven - Satie - Chostakovitch, Concert du 06/01/1955, Orchestre National, I. Markevitch (dir)
Orchestre national de la RTF and Igor Markevitch
Classical - Released by Ina, musique(s) on Aug 3, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Festival de Salzbourg, W.A. Mozart - J. Haydn, Concert du 01/08/1959, Orchestre National de la RTF, Georg Solti (dir), Sir Clifford Curzon (piano)
Orchestre national de la RTF and Georg Solti
Classical - Released by Ina, musique(s) on Nov 22, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10, Op. 93
Orchestre National de France, Kurt Sanderling
Classical - Released by naïve classique on Mar 24, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Erik Satie, morceaux choisis
Jean-Joël Barbier, Jean Wiener, Orchestre National de France, Manuel Rosenthal
Classical - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on Sep 17, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Franck: Symphony In D Minor; Roussel: Symphony No.3 (Live)
Orchestre National de France, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lancino: Violin Concerto & Prelude and Death of Virgil
Isabelle Faust, Orchestre National de France, Matteo de Monti, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg , Gerard Schwarz, Arturo Tamayo
Classical - Released by Naxos on Sep 1, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 (Live recording, Lausanne 1971)
Concertos - Released by Claves Records on Jan 26, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Festival de Strasbourg, Prokoviev - Ravel - Tchaikovsky - Mozart - Bach, Concert du 01/06/1959, Orchestre National de la RTF, Ernest Bour (dir), David Oistrakh (violon)
Orchestre national de la RTF and Ernest Bour featuring David Oistrakh
Classical - Released by Ina, musique(s) on Nov 22, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo