bamberger symphoniker

resonating worldwide

Konzerthalle Bamberg
© Andreas Herzau

Cooperation with Bavarian Broadcasting

The Bamberg Symphony began working with the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting) as early as the 1950s and they established a close working relationship during this time. Every concert season, the radio station's classical music branch BR-Klassik records six concerts with the Bamberg Symphony, which are then broadcast at a later stage. The station presents a comprehensive picture of the 'Bambergers' daily musical lives, which can be followed worldwide through the different ways of distribution. Bayerischer Rundfunk and the orchestra also produce radio programmes for BR-Klassik, which provide a platform to composers of all epochs and works beyond the established repertoire. In addition, the cooperation between Bayerischer Rundfunk and the Bamberg Symphony provides young conductors and soloists with the opportunity to gain stage experience with a world-class orchestra. Amongst the emerging artists who have now established themselves in the classical music industry are Robin Ticciati, Pietari Inkinen and David Afkham.

An extensive discography has emerged over the decades of this collaboration. The orchestra recorded all of Schubert's

symphonies with Jonathan Nott and complemented the series with contemporary Schubert-related works including compositions by Henze, Rihm, Widmann and Mantovani. They also recorded the first version of Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 as well as works by Janáček and Stravinsky. For almost ten years, the Bamberg Symphony and Jonathan Nott worked on the major artistic project of recording all complete symphonies by Gustav Mahler - a cycle of individual recordings which have been made over the years and which have been praised by international press and covered with prestigious awards such as the Toblacher Komponierhäuschen 2009 and the MIDEM Classical Award 2010. The Bamberg Symphony also made recordings of Anton Bruckner's Mass No. 3 and Antonin Dvořák's Symphony »From the New World« with Robin Ticciati.

Other large cycles that developed in the past include collaborations with Horst Stein (Schubert, Brahms and Reger), Christoph Eschenbach (Schumann), Claus Peter Flor (Mendelssohn), Hans Stadlmair (Raff) and Ingo Metzmacher (Hartmann).

With the beginning of Jakub Hrůša's tenure as 5th Chief Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony a recording of Smetana's »Má Vlast« has been released.