Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
The ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra is a top orchestra recognised throughout the world, and it considers itself connected to the Viennese tradition of orchestral performance. Since September 2019, Marin Alsop assumes the position of principal conductor, starting in the season 2026/27 Markus Poschner will follow her on this position. The Vienna RSO is well-known for its unusual and courageous programming. Frequently, the Classical and Romantic repertoire and works of classical Modernism are placed in an unexpected context: being combined with contemporary pieces and rarely performed works from different periods.
All the performances are broadcast on radio, especially on the station Ö1, but also abroad. Afterwards, the concerts of the Vienna RSO can be heard for a week on the media player of Ö1. With its growing presence on European television and its co-operation with the youth station FM4, the Vienna RSO continuously reaches new music lovers. Many fans support the club “Freundin des RSO”. The Vienna RSO is also at home in the genre of film music. Every year, the orchestra is conducted by composers who have been awarded an Oscar for the best soundtrack.
In 2012, the Vienna RSO recorded the soundtrack to the film Die Vermessung, and in 2016 there followed the films Kater and Die Geträumten. Of the many CD releases, may the three-part CD box entitled “Martinů: The Symphonies” be mentioned, which was awarded the prestigious ICMA in the category “Symphonic Music” in 2018. In addition, the principal conductor at the time, Cornelius Meister, was awarded the “Opus Klassik” as Conductor of the Year. In Vienna, the RSO regularly performs two subscribers’ cycles in the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus. Beyond that, the orchestra annually appears at major festivals in Austria and abroad. There are close links to the Salzburg Festival, to the Musikprotokoll at the Styrian Autumn and to Wien Modern. Tours regularly take the RSO to Japan and China as well as to the USA, South America, Spain, Italy and Germany. Since 2007, the Vienna RSO has established itself as an opera orchestra with its continuously successful co-operation with the Theater an der Wien.
