The Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB) traces its existence back to the "Funkstunde-Berlin", the birth of public broadcasting in Germany in general, on 29 October 1923. That day, musicians and conductors such as Otto Urack, Bruno Seidler-Winkler, Eugen Jochum, Sergiu Celibidache, Herrmann Abendroth, Rolf Kleinert, Heinz Rögner and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos formed a body of sound that has lived through the vicissitudes of German history in the 20th century in a special way.
He was followed in the 21st century by Marek Janowski (2001 to 2016) and in 2017 by Vladimir Jurowski, who as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director is leading the orchestra's soon to be hundred-year-old tradition into the future, not least by extending his contract until 2027. At his side, Karina Canellakis has been the RSB's first guest conductor since 2019.
Young conductors of the international top class made their respective Berlin debuts with the RSB: Andris Nelsons, Yannik Nézet-Séguin, Vasily Petrenko, Jakub Hrůša, Alain Altinoglu, Omer Meir Wellber, Michael Francis, Lahav Shani, Karina Canellakis, Thomas Søndergård, Antonello Manacorda, Edward Gardner, Nicolas Carter.
Renowned composers of the 20th and 21st centuries stepped up to the orchestra's podium or performed their own works as soloists: Paul Hindemith, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Sergei Prokofiev, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Vladimir Vogel, Kurt Weill and Alexander Zemlinsky, and more recently Krzysztof Penderecki, Berthold Goldschmidt, Peter Maxwell Davies, Friedrich Goldmann, Peter Ruzicka, Jörg Widmann, Daniel Schnyder, Matthias Pintscher, Siegfried Matthus, Heinz Hollinger, Thomas Adès, Brett Dean and Marko Nikodijević. In 2021/22, Yelena Firssova was the orchestra's composer-in-residence.
The RSB is committed to young people, among other things with the sponsoring orchestra Deutsche Streicherphilharmonie, with young musicians in its own ranks (Orchestra Academy) and with the family, school and children's concerts.
Deutschlandradio with its stations Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandfunk Kultur is the largest shareholder of the Rundfunk-Orchester und-Chöre gGmbH Berlin (ROC), founded in 1994, which institutionally supports the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB) and three other orchestras. The ROC also relies on the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Berlin and the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. Deutschlandfunk Kultur in Berlin, Deutschlandfunk in Cologne and Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg broadcast all symphony concerts and other concerts of the RSB on the radio. Many can be received worldwide via the affiliated stations of the European Broadcasting Union (Euroradio).
The RSB also makes studio recordings, often with forgotten repertoire rarities after the great Wagner and Henze editions with Marek Janowski, Vladimir Jurowski has begun a new chapter of recording activity.
The RSB has a national and international live presence. For more than 50 years, it has made regular guest appearances at German and European festivals, in the Far East and in music centres worldwide.
Please use only this Weigold & Böhm authorised 2022/2023 biography.
