Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra is one of the most adventurous orchestras in Europe and one of the best orchestras in a country that has more symphonies per capita than any other. Based in Helsinki, it is the primary radio orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle). With a prolific recording catalog dating back to 1939, chief conductor <a href="spotify:artist:23qJKSvfqtc9c3VFwdEV4a">Nicholas Collon</a> led the orchestra on the recordings Magnus Lindberg: Viola Concerto; Absence; Serenades and Outi Tarkiainen: Midnight Sun Variations in 2024.

The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1927 as a small studio ensemble at Finnish Radio, the state-owned broadcasting organization led by Erkki Linko. The orchestra grew over the next several decades, reaching symphony orchestra size in 1947, and now comprises about 90 members. Its repertoire is primarily made up of Classical and Romantic works but does extend through works of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Finnish Radio Symphony's first chief conductor was Toivo Haapanen, who held the post from 1929 until 1950. In addition to all of the orchestra's concerts being broadcast, it has made dozens of recordings. In 1939, the Finnish Radio Symphony made its first recording, which is the only surviving recording of <a href="spotify:artist:7jzR5qj8vFnSu5JHaXgFEr">Jean Sibelius</a> conducting. The orchestra has numbered illustrious names among its chief conductors, including <a href="spotify:artist:3TRLbu1HiKgouyapoZE421">Paavo Berglund</a> (1962-1971), <a href="spotify:artist:1AZTVGOm7t5zkOcweZBivz">Leif Segerstam</a> (1977-1987), <a href="spotify:artist:1uRaEf1FomwEBLyEUa2yEK">Jukka-Pekka Saraste</a> (1987-2001), and <a href="spotify:artist:71dLaXD8sd1tV1LzFqUj3q">Sakari Oramo</a> (2003-2012). Under <a href="spotify:artist:1uRaEf1FomwEBLyEUa2yEK">Saraste</a>, tours became a regular practice for the orchestra and have taken it through Europe, Asia, the U.S., and the Canary Islands.

In its performances and recordings, the Finnish Radio Symphony has become a significant advocate for contemporary Finnish composers. It premieres new works commissioned by the broadcasting company each year. Among the Finnish composers featured on the orchestra's recordings have been Aulis Sallinen, Joonas Kokkonen, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, among many others. In 2005, the orchestra was heard on a recording of Magnus Lindberg's Clarinet Concerto, which earned a Gramophone Award. <a href="spotify:artist:5Tmg9YbCEQSH2gft7Ftpdo">Hannu Lintu</a> was named chief conductor in 2013 and led the orchestra to a second Gramophone Award for the 2018 album Bartók: Violin Concertos, backing violinist <a href="spotify:artist:1fo7wyhU0wmbIbknhGaBOi">Christian Tetzlaff</a>. In 2019, the orchestra was heard on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ondine%22">Ondine</a> album Kaija Saariaho: True Fire; Trans; Ciel d'hiver, which earned a Grammy Award nomination. <a href="spotify:artist:5Tmg9YbCEQSH2gft7Ftpdo">Lintu</a> was succeeded in 2021 by <a href="spotify:artist:23qJKSvfqtc9c3VFwdEV4a">Nicholas Collon</a>, who led the orchestra on three albums in 2023 alone. In 2024, the orchestra was heard on a recording of works by Lindberg -- featuring violist Lawrence Power -- and Outi Tarkiainen: Midnight Sun Variations. ~ Joseph Stevenson & Keith Finke, Rovi