The MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra is Germany‘s oldest of its kind and celebrating its centenary in the 2023/24 season. Founded to bring music and musical education to an increasing number of listeners, the current task of the orchestra has not changed. However, besides live concerts and regular radio broadcasts, the importance of streaming and other channels of digital distrubution increasingly shape its tasks.

The orchestra reflects the creative spirit of Central Germany, represented by groundbreaking composers such as J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt and Kurt Weill. The MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra cultivates the (local) musical traditions and is equally engaged in performance and creation of contemporary music. The recording of unusual and rare repertoire, soundtracks for films, as well as the development of digital formats, especially in the area of education, are also part of the orchestra’s duties.

Chief conductors of very different personalities – including Kristjan Järvi, Jun Märkl, Fabio Luisi, Wolf-Dieter Hauschild, Herbert Kegel, and Hermann Abendroth – have shaped the orchestra. Dennis Russell Davies, Chief Conductor since the summer of 2020, proves again to be an unusual programmer and masterful artistic leader, taking the orchestra to a new level of musical achievement. With 2024 also being the anniversary year for Anton Bruckner, all symphonies, conducted by Davies, will be released in their first version.