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The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (= SRSO; previously Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; AKA: Radio Symphony Orchestra Bratislava) is a symphony orchestra based in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Based in the historic city of Bratislava, the SRSO was founded in 1929 as the first professional musical ensemble fulfilling the needs of radio broadcasting in Slovakia. The orchestra's first music director was Oskar Nedbal, who died one year after accepting the post. He was succeeded by Prague conductor Frantisek Dyk, who developed the orchestra's reputation through work in symphonic and operetta repertoire. In the course of the past sixty years of its existence the SRSO has worked under the batons of several prominent Czech and Slovak conductors. The first conductors already placed particular emphasis on contemporary Slovak music in their programmes, resulting in a close connection with leading Slovak composers, including Alexander Moyzes, Eugen Suchoń, Ján Cikker and others. The original ensemble was gradually enlarged and from 1942, thanks to Alexander Moyzes, the then director of music at Slovak Radio, regular symphony concerts were given, broadcast live by Slovak Radio. From 1943 to 1946 the Croatian Krešimír Baranovič was the chief conductor of the orchestra, to which he made a vital contribution. His successors were L’udovít Rajter, Ladislav Slovák, Václav Jiráček, Otakar Trhlík, Bystrík Režucha.
Ondrej Lenárd was appointed its Principal Conductor of the SRSO in 1977 and served in this post until 1990. His numerous successful performances and recordings helped the orchestra to establish itself as an internationally known concert ensemble. His successor Róbert Stankovsky, who took over the orchestra in 1993, continued this work with regular concert performances at the home stage and abroad, and many important recordings for the radio and foreign companies have been made, until his unexpected death at the age of thirty-six. Charles Olivieri-Munroe held the position of chief conductor from 2001 to 2003. Oliver von Dohnányi was chief conductor of the orchestra in 2006, resigning in 2007, and regular live concerts have continued under the young Slovak conductor Mario Kosik.
The SRSO's concerts are still broadcast regularly, and its recordings are found primarily on the Opus, Supraphon, Naxos, Marco Polo, and Arte Nova labels. The orchestra has made numerous recordings of 19th and 20th century music, including many compositions by Slovak composers. Through its broadcasts and many recordings, the orchestra has also become a part of concert life abroad, with performances in major Eastern European music festivals and successful tours to Austria, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Bulgaria, Spain, Japan, Great Britain and Malta, as well as to Japan and Hong Kong. |
