Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, often styled in Germany as the hr_Sinfonieorchester (Hessischer Rundfunk [i.e., Hessian Radio] Symphony Orchestra), has a long history on radio in southwestern Germany and has, since the 1960s, ascended to international prominence.
Orchestral music on Frankfurt Radio dates back to the 1920s, and a Frankfurter Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester was founded in 1929 by conductor Hans Rosbaud. The group's association with the regional Hessian Radio network began in 1950. Conductors after World War II shaped the orchestra into an ensemble that covered mainstream Classical-Romantic repertory and also performed contemporary music on occasion.
All the orchestra's conductors since 1961 have been non-German. Key figures in the group's ascent to international prominence were African-American conductor Dean Dixon, principal conductor from 1961 to 1974, and Israeli Eliahu Inbal, who held the baton from 1974 to 1990. During that period the orchestra was the first to record the original versions of several of Anton Bruckner's symphonies. Dmitri Kitayenko (1990-1996) steered the orchestra toward German and Russian mainstream repertory, while American Hugh Wolff (1997-2006) introduced influences from the historical performance movement. Paavo Järvi was chief conductor from 2006 to 2013, and since 2014 the post has been held by Colombia's Andrés Orozco-Estrada.
Many of the orchestra's recordings have been made for the audiophile labels Teldec, Denon, ECM, and Wergo. In the mid-2010s the group recorded for RCA, and Järvi rejoined the orchestra in 2018 for recordings on Naïve of music by Brahms and Bach arranged by Schoenberg and Webern, and by Hindemith. The hr_Sinfonieorchester performs concerts at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt as well as originating regular broadcasts from the hr Sendesaal studio.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Turnage / Scofield: Scorched
John Scofield, John Patitucci, Peter Erskine, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, hr-Bigband, Hugh Wolff
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
W.A. Mozart: Piano Concertos No. 21 in C Major, K. 467; Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-Flat Major, K. 595
Lars Vogt, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin on 2 Sep 2013
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schmitt: La Tragédie de Salomé & Chant élégiaque
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Alain Altinoglu
Classical - Released by Alpha Classics on 10 May 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Nielsen, Ibert & Arnold: Flute Concertos
Clara Andrada, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jaime Martin
Classical - Released by Ondine on 3 Jan 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven's World - Eberl, Dussek: Concertos for 2 Pianos
Tal & Groethuysen, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Reinhard Goebel
Classical - Released by Sony Classical - Sony Music on 16 Oct 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven's World - Eberl, Dussek: Concertos for 2 Pianos
Tal & Groethuysen, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Reinhard Goebel
Classical - Released by Sony Classical - Sony Music on 16 Oct 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Schmidt: Complete Symphonies
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 11 Sep 2020
Gramophone: Recording of the Month16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony Nullte
Paavo Järvi, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sony Music Labels Inc. on 8 Feb 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tjeknavorian & Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pablo Gonzalez, Ulrich Edelmann
Concertos - Released by Berlin Classics on 21 Feb 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 83 & Klavierstücke, Op. 76
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi, Nicholas Angelich
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 15 Mar 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bellini/Molique/Moscheles: Oboe Concertos
Heinz Holliger, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal, English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal
Classical - Released by Denon on 1 Jan 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Op.14
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal
Classical - Released by Denon on 30 Aug 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Franz & Richard Strauss: Horn Concertos
Samuel Seidenberg, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sebastian Weigle
Classical - Released by Pan Classics on 17 Jul 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Erkki-Sven Tüür: Symphony No.7 “Pietas” / Piano Concerto
Laura Mikkola, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi, NDR-Chor
Classical - Released by ECM New Series on 21 Feb 2014
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Scriabin: 3 Symphonies; Poéme de l'extase; Poéme du feu (Promethée)
Eliahu Inbal, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Space Table Symphony
Breiter Bernd, David Garrett, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by BigCityBeats Recordings on 3 Jun 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No.6
Paavo Järvi, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 4 Feb 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Morton Feldman: Violin And Orchestra
Carolin Widmann, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Emilio Pomarico
Classical - Released by ECM New Series on 30 Apr 2013
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Paavo Järvi, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sony Music Labels Inc. on 21 May 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic"
Paavo Järvi, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi & Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 3 Jul 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo