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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. |
