WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
The WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, or West German Radio Symphony Orchestra of Cologne, is one of Germany's leading symphony orchestras. The group plays the music of various periods but has specialized in contemporary music, a specialty made possible by the fact that the WDR network also maintains another orchestra, the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln, that performs lighter music and pops material. The broadcast of orchestral music on the radio in Cologne dates back almost to the foundation of the Richessender Köln radio station in 1927. After World War II, Allied administrators announced the breakup of the central broadcasting of the Nazi era in favor of a system of regional broadcasters that persists today. The Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester was established to serve the new Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (Northwest German Radio), in 1947; the name was changed to WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln in the 1990s. In the beginning, the group hosted only guest conductors, but since 1964, when Christoph von Dohnányi was named principal conductor, the orchestra has reliably spawned international conducting careers. Recent principal conductors have included Hans Vonk (1991-1997), Semyon Bychkov (1997-2010), Jukka-Pekka Saraste (2010-2019), and, since 2019, Cristian Macelaru. Guest conductors have included international greats: Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm, and Zubin Mehta, among others. The orchestra's contemporary music specialty dates back many years and has included premieres of works by Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze, and Karlheinz Stockhausen. This tendency, along with the WDR's maintenance of its own electronic music studio directed for many years by Stockhausen, helped to establish Cologne as a center for contemporary music. The orchestra performs at the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz and the Kölner Philharmonie. The WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln has recorded for both German and international labels. In 1989, under frequent guest conductor Günter Wand, the orchestra released recordings of Schubert's Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 ("The Great"), and Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 on RCA Red Seal. The orchestra has also recorded for Wergo, Audite, CPO, and many others. Although quite prolific, with more than 80 recordings to its credit as of the early 2020s, the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln has not been strongly associated with any single imprint. In 2020, the group released its first two albums on Sony Classical, Beethoven's World, and a release devoted to the violin concertos of Franz Joseph Clement, with violinist Mirijam Contzen and conductor Reinhard Goebel.© James Manheim /TiVo Read more
The WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, or West German Radio Symphony Orchestra of Cologne, is one of Germany's leading symphony orchestras. The group plays the music of various periods but has specialized in contemporary music, a specialty made possible by the fact that the WDR network also maintains another orchestra, the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln, that performs lighter music and pops material.
The broadcast of orchestral music on the radio in Cologne dates back almost to the foundation of the Richessender Köln radio station in 1927. After World War II, Allied administrators announced the breakup of the central broadcasting of the Nazi era in favor of a system of regional broadcasters that persists today. The Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester was established to serve the new Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (Northwest German Radio), in 1947; the name was changed to WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln in the 1990s. In the beginning, the group hosted only guest conductors, but since 1964, when Christoph von Dohnányi was named principal conductor, the orchestra has reliably spawned international conducting careers. Recent principal conductors have included Hans Vonk (1991-1997), Semyon Bychkov (1997-2010), Jukka-Pekka Saraste (2010-2019), and, since 2019, Cristian Macelaru. Guest conductors have included international greats: Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm, and Zubin Mehta, among others. The orchestra's contemporary music specialty dates back many years and has included premieres of works by Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze, and Karlheinz Stockhausen. This tendency, along with the WDR's maintenance of its own electronic music studio directed for many years by Stockhausen, helped to establish Cologne as a center for contemporary music. The orchestra performs at the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz and the Kölner Philharmonie.
The WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln has recorded for both German and international labels. In 1989, under frequent guest conductor Günter Wand, the orchestra released recordings of Schubert's Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 ("The Great"), and Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 on RCA Red Seal. The orchestra has also recorded for Wergo, Audite, CPO, and many others. Although quite prolific, with more than 80 recordings to its credit as of the early 2020s, the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln has not been strongly associated with any single imprint. In 2020, the group released its first two albums on Sony Classical, Beethoven's World, and a release devoted to the violin concertos of Franz Joseph Clement, with violinist Mirijam Contzen and conductor Reinhard Goebel.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Erwin Schulhoff: Piano Concerto, Op. 11 & Der Bürger als Edelmann Suite
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Michael Rische, Israel Yinon, Berlin Deutsches Symphony Orchestra, Gerd Albrecht
Chamber Music - Released by haenssler CLASSIC on May 6, 2022
Erwin Schulhoff went through many stages in his emergence as pianist and composer. Antonin Dvorák recommended the seven-year-old to the conservatory o ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Zimmermann: Sinfonie in einem Satz (1. Fassung)
Classical - Released by Wergo on Jun 3, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Complete Symphonies
Classical - Released by PentaTone on Oct 2, 2020
Maestro Marek Janowski and the WDR Symphony Orchestra present a new recording of Beethoven’s complete symphonies, the ultimate symphonic oeuvre in all ...
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Weber, Beethoven & Brahms: Orchestral Works (Live)
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Geza Anda, Hans Knappertsbusch
Classical - Released by Orfeo on Jul 7, 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart : Symphonies n°1, 25 & 41 (Vol. 1)
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Roger Norrington
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on Jan 1, 2006
The Qobuz Ideal DiscographyBy calling this series Mozart-- Essential Symphonies, Roger Norrington is clearly going to have to make choices about which is and which isn't an esse ...
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Hausegger: Natursymphonie
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, Ari Rasilainen
Classical - Released by CPO on May 1, 2008
Bruckner buffs may recognize the name of Siegmund von Hausegger as the conductor who, in 1932, championed Bruckner's Ninth Symphony by presenting it f ...
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Schumann : Symphonien No. 2 & 3 'Rheinische' (Complete Symphonic Works, Vol. II)
Symphonic Music - Released by audite Musikproduktion on Jul 18, 2014
5 de Diapason24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 1. - Webern: Im Sommerwind
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, François-Xavier Roth
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on Mar 6, 2012
Conductor François-Xavier Roth is perhaps best known for his association with the French chamber orchestra Les Siècles, and his period-style recording ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn, J.: The 12 London Symphonies
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Roger Norrington
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on Jan 1, 2009
The two extended visits in London, in 1791 and 1794, were the greatest triumph in the career of Joseph Haydn. By that time he had already composed 92 ...
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Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4, Variations on a Theme by Haydn & Overtures
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Classical - Released by Profil on Jun 1, 2018
Issued on three CDs between 2013 and 2018, these Brahms recordings by Jukka-Pekka-Saraste and the WDR Sinfonieorchester comprise a standard set of the ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reznicek: Schlemihl & Overture-Phantasie II "Raskolnikov"
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Nobuaki Yamamasu, Michail Jurowski
Classical - Released by CPO on Feb 23, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss, R.: Also Sprach Zarathustra / Burleske
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Gary Bertini
Classical - Released by CapriccioNR on Jan 1, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Chout, Op. 21
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Michail Jurowski
Classical - Released by CPO on Jan 20, 2004
This is an excellent version of the complete score to Prokofiev's still somewhat neglected early ballet Chout. Michail Jurowski and the WDR Sinfonie O ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BRUCKNER, A.: Symphony No. 4 (Norrington)
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Roger Norrington
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on Jan 1, 2007
Because Roger Norrington has begun applying his ideas of authentic period practice to the music of Anton Bruckner, it's natural he would want to recor ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ziehrer: Die Landstreicher
Opera - Released by CapriccioNR on Jan 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms & Wagner: Works for Orchestra (Live)
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Hans Knappertsbusch
Classical - Released by Orfeo on Jan 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ries: Die Räuberbraut, Op. 156
Opera - Released by CPO on Nov 8, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvořák: Čert a Káča, Op. 112, B. 201
Opera - Released by Orfeo on Jan 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz, H.: Symphonie Fantastique / Le Carnaval Romain / Benvenuto Cellini: Overture
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Gary Bertini
Classical - Released by CapriccioNR on Jan 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff, Strauss, Wagner & Verdi: Works
Classical - Released by Profil on Apr 17, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár: Wiener Frauen
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Curt Cremer, Unknown Artist
Opera - Released by CPO on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo