WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne
The WDR Symphony Orchestra is the Symphony Orchestra of the West German Radio and contributed to the 1990s, the name of the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra. It originated in 1947 in the then North West German Broadcasting ( NWDR ) and played under the direction of Karl Böhm, Fritz Busch, Herbert von Karajan, Erich Kleiber, Otto Klemperer, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Georg Solti, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Abbado. The orchestra is well known for performances of music of the 20th century; some well-known composers who wrote for the orchestra commissioned works are Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze, Mauricio Kagel, Krzysztof Penderecki, Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Bernd Alois Zimmermann. In the 1950s and the first half of the 1960s the production of entertaining classical music in the hands of the conductor Franz Marszalek was. Marszalek played with the sound of a body made numerous recordings, including many rarities.
The WDR Symphony Orchestra regularly performs with great success in all European countries, in North and South America and in Asia.
Chief Conductor
- Jukka -Pekka Saraste (from 2010)
- Semyon Bychkov (1997-2010)
- Hans Vonk (1991-1997)
- Gary Bertini (1983-1991)
- Hiroshi Wakasugi (1977-1983)
- Zdeněk Mácal (1970-1974)
- Christoph von Dohnányi (1964-1969)
Awards
- 2003: "Prix International du Disque " for the recording of the complete symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich, conducted by Rudolf Barshai
- 2006: ECHO Klassik for the recording of Daphne by Richard Strauss
- 2010: Disc of the Year Award from BBC Music Magazine (expert jury and readers of the magazine ) for the recording of Wagner's opera Lohengrin.
- 2012: ECHO Klassik 2012 category " ChorWerk Recording of the Year ( 20th/21st century. ) " For the recording of the Requiem by György Ligeti.