MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra
The MDR-Sinfonieorchester is a German radio orchestra based in Leipzig. It is the radio orchestra of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the public broadcaster for the German states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It is one of the oldest Radio orchestras in the world and the oldest in Germany. It was founded in Leipzig, Germany in 1923. Apart from a short interruption during World War II, it has been the main orchestra of the Central German Broadcasting Company since 1924. The orchestra performs concerts in Leipzig at the Gewandhaus.History
The orchestra was founded as "Orchester des Konzertvereins". It became the "Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig" in 1924 and later adopted its present name. The Orchestra was dissolved during World War II and reunited in 1946 under the tenure of the conductor Hermann Abendroth, later conducted by Herbert Kegel. During the late 1970s through the 1980s, the principal conductors were Wolf-Dieter Hauschild and Max Pommer.
In 1992, the Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra merged with the Radio Philharmonic in Leipzig to form the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra. Daniel Nazareth was the first Music Director of the newly formed MDR Symphony Orchestra after the German reunification. The orchestra's most recent chief conductor was Kristjan Järvi, from 2012 to 2018. In November 2019, the orchestra announced the appointment of Dennis Russell Davies as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2020-2021 season, with an initial contract of 4 years.Ensembles
Chamber music ensembles of the MDR Symphony Orchestra
This is a selected list of world premieres given by the orchestra:
