Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Of the three major orchestras based in Munich, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra is probably the most prominent and arguably the finest. It has been the most heavily recorded of the three and one of the most often-recorded ensembles in the world. […]

The Bavarian Symphony Orchestra was established in 1949 and from that time to the present, has functioned under the financial and organizational auspices of the Bavarian Radio of Munich. Eugen Jochum was appointed the ensemble's first music director and he immediately proceeded to build the orchestra into one of Germany's finest. Its initial recordings were made under his baton in 1950. […] Igor Stravinsky led the ensemble in performances of his own works in 1951, and four years later Paul Hindemith conducted a program featuring his music. Other prominent artists and conductors also appeared in the 1950s, including the orchestra's next music director Rafael Kubelik. […] Kubelik was a conservative in matters of repertory, largely focusing on Classical and Romantic works. […] The BRSO continued to attract major artists and guest conductors, including Carlo Maria Giulini, Bernard Haitink, Zubin Mehta, and Leonard Bernstein, who made regular appearances with the ensemble beginning in 1976. Kubelik resigned in September 1979 and Kiril Kondrashin, a recent defector from the Soviet Union and one of the world's most-respected conductors, was chosen to become his successor. He was never officially named music director, though he functioned in that capacity, and when he suddenly died of a heart attack in 1981, the orchestra was left without a director until 1983, when Sir Colin Davis took the podium. During his tenure, many successful tours were undertaken, including ones to Japan in 1984 and to the United States in 1986. […] Lorin Maazel succeeded him in 1993 and continued the tradition of conducting and recording many choral and vocal works. […] Maazel's tenure with the orchestra ended in 2002. His successor was Mariss Jansons […].

The orchestra, which has regularly broadcast concerts over Bavarian Radio throughout its existence, consists of 115 members and performs in the Philharmonie Munich am Gasteig and the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz. Sometimes known outside Germany as the Munich Symphony, in addition to the full orchestra, several smaller ensembles including the Koeckert-Quartet, the Bach Collegium Munich and the Munich Brass Ensemble have been established by members of the larger group. […] AllMusic