Diversity and quality are the trademarks of the NDR Radiophilharmonie orchestra from Hanover. 86 highly skilled musicians represent an impressive variety in their programme: in addition to the great classical and romantic repertory, they also cultivate early music. Crossover projects, movie soundtracks and a wide range of different concerts for children and youth reach a large audience.

Over the last years the NDR Radiophilharmonie, with its principal conductors Eiji Oue, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, and currently Andrew Manze, has closed the gap to the leading symphony orchestras. Top international artists complement the musical work of the orchestra, besides such classical music greats as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Hilary Hahn, Rudolf Buchbinder, Sir András Schiff, Andris Nelsons, Gustavo Dudamel and Andrés Orozco-Estrada, also experts for early music like Reinhard Goebel, Giuliano Carmignola and Philippe Jaroussky.

 

As musical ambassador for the city of Hanover and the German state of Lower Saxony, NDR Radiophilharmonie has an outstanding reputation internationally. In the recent past, the ensemble has gone on tour, among others, in Asia and South America, and has repeatedly given guest performances at the Pisa Festival, the Clubhouse Concerts in Switzerland or the Norwegian Bergen International Festival. In 2011, the orchestra gave its acclaimed debut in the sold-out Royal Albert Hall in London. Additional highlights were concerts in the Musikverein Vienna and the Großes Festspielhaus concert hall in Salzburg.

 

The close cooperation with principal conductor Andrew Manze, who has held this position since 2014/15 and whose contract has recently been renewed until 2021, represents a decisive step on the artistically ambitious path of NDR Radiophilharmonie. The orchestra’s first album was published under its principal conductor in early March 2017: Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3. This was the first in an award-winning series with the Dutch label PENTATONE.

 

Other signs that NDR Radiophilharmonie is innovating itself can be seen from its social commitment, for example the foundation of the “Joseph Joachim Akademie e.V.” orchestra academy, whose goal it is to make it easier for university graduates to start their lives as professional musicians.

 

Almost all concert projects of NDR Radiophilharmonie are broadcast by the NDR public radio and television broadcaster and are available online all over the world.