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NHK Symphony Orchestra (Symphony Orchestra)

Born: 1926 - Tokyo, Japan

The NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo (= NHKSO; NHK交響楽団, NHK Kōkyō Gakudan) is a Japanese broadcast orchestra based in Tokyo. The orchestra gives concerts in several venues, including the NHK Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.

The orchestra began as the New Symphony Orchestra on October 5, 1926 and was the country's first professional symphony orchestra. After being briefly called the Japan Symphony Orchestra, it was renamed the NHK Symphony Orchestra when it began to receive full financial support from Nippon Hoso Kyokai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in 1951. During those years, the orchestra invited German conductor Joseph Rosenstock as its Chief Conductor, under whose baton the orchestra established the foundation to become Japan’s leading orchestra. Thereafter, the orchestra continually invited many of the world’s most renowned conductors of the time, including Herbert von Karajan, Ernest Ansermet, Joseph Keilberth and Lovro von Matačić, to name but a few, and worked with some of the world’s most celebrated soloists to offer the public innumerable outstanding performances which have become entrenched as part of Japan’s history of classical music. The subscription concerts series, which is the core of its activities, started on February 20, 1927, and has continued without interruption ever since, even during World War II.

In recent years, the NHKSO has presented approximately 120 concerts nationwide annually, including 54 subscription concerts which have been relayed to every corner of the country on NHK television and through FM radio broadcasts. The concerts can also be heard in Europe, the USA and Asia through its international broadcast service. It has also won world-wide acclaim for its overseas tours, including its first appearance in the Salzburg Festival in August 2013 and successful concerts with Chief Conductor Paavo Järvi in its European tour of 7 major cities including Berlin and Vienna in the spring of 2017.

The most recent music director of the orchestra was Vladimir Ashkenazy, from 2004 to 2007. Vladimir Ashkenazy now has the title of Conductor Laureate. Charles Dutoit, the orchestra's Music Director from 1998 to 2003, is now its Music Director Emeritus. Wolfgang Sawallisch, Honorary Conductor from 1967 to 1994, held the title of Honorary Conductor Laureate until his death. The orchestra's current Permanent Conductors are Yuzo Toyama, since 1979, and Tadaaki Otaka, since 2010. Herbert Blomstedt holds the title of Honorary Conductor, since 1986. André Previn had the title of Honorary Guest Conductor since 2012. In June 2012, the orchestra named Paavo Järvi as its next Chief Conductor, as of the 2015-2016 season, with an initial contract of 3 years.

Permanent Conductors and Music Directors

Hidemaro Konoye (January 1926-February 1935)
Josef König (April 1927-April 1929)
Nicolai Schifferblatt (July 1929-July 1936)
Joseph Rosenstock (August 1936-September 1946: full-time conductor; March 1956-March 1957: Principal Conductor)
Hisatada Otaka (April 1942-February 1951: full-time conductor)
Kazuo Yamada (April 1942–July 1951: full-time conductor)
Shin'ichi Takata (April 1944-May 1951: full-time conductor)
Kurt Wöss (September 1951-August 1954: Principal Conductor)
Niklaus Aeschbacher (August 1954-March 1956: Principal Conductor)
Wilhelm Loibner (March 1957-February 1959: Principal Conductor)
Wilhelm Schüchter (February 1959-March 1962: Principal Conductor)
Alexander Rumpf (August 1964-July 1965: Principal Conductor)
Hiroyuki Iwaki (February 1969- June 2006: Permanent Conductor)
Tadashi Mori (February 1979-May 1987: Permanent Conductor)
Yuzo Toyama (February 1979–Present: Permanent Conductor)
Hiroshi Wakasugi (April 1995-July 2009: Permanent Conductor)
Charles Dutoit (September 1996-August 1998: Principal Conductor; September 1998-August 2003: Music Director)
Vladimir Ashkenazy (September 2004-August 2007: Music Director)
Tadaaki Otaka, CBE (January 2010-Present: Permanent Conductor)
Paavo Järvi (October 2016-Present: Chief Conductor)

Honorary Conductors and other titled conductors
Joseph Rosenstock (August 1951-October 1985)
Joseph Keilberth (January 1967-July 1968)
Lovro von Matačić (January 1967-January 1985)
Wolfgang Sawallisch (January 1967-October 1994; November 1994-February 2013: Honorary Conductor Laureate)
Otmar Suitner (January 1973-January 2010)
Horst Stein (March 1975-July 2008)
Herbert Blomstedt (January 1986-Present)
Charles Dutoit (September 2003-Present: Music Director Emeritus)
Vladimir Ashkenazy (September 2007-Present: Conductor Laureate)
André Previn (September 2012–February 2019: Honorary Guest Conductor)


Sources:
HarrisonParrott Website
Wikipedia Website (January 2021)
Contributed by
Aryeh Oron (March 2021)

Paavo Järvi: Short Biography | Ensembles: NHK Symphony Orchestra
Bach Discography:
Recordings of Vocal Works | Recordings of Instrumental Works

Links to other Sites

NHK Symphony Orchestra (Official Website) [English/Japanese]
NHK Symphony Orchestra (Wekipedia)
NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo (HarrisonParrott)


Biographies of Performers: Main Page | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Explanation | Acronyms | Missing Biographies | The Sad Corner




 

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Last update: Saturday, April 03, 2021 02:40