Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra ranks among Europe's most daring ensembles and stands out in a nation boasting more symphonies per capita than anywhere else. Headquartered in Helsinki, the group serves as the flagship radio orchestra for the Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yle. Its extensive recorded legacy stretches back to 1939, and under chief conductor Nicholas Collon the ensemble committed to disc Magnus Lindberg: Viola Concerto; Absence; Serenades alongside Outi Tarkiainen: Midnight Sun Variations during 2024.

Established in 1927 as a modest studio group within the state broadcaster Finnish Radio under Erkki Linko, the ensemble expanded steadily and attained full symphony-orchestra dimensions by 1947; today it fields roughly ninety musicians. While its core programming centers on Classical and Romantic repertoire, the orchestra also regularly programs works from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Toivo Haapanen served as its inaugural chief conductor from 1929 to 1950. Every concert reaches listeners via broadcast, and the orchestra has amassed dozens of recordings; its earliest, made in 1939, remains the sole surviving document of Jean Sibelius on the podium. Among the distinguished chief conductors who followed are Paavo Berglund (1962-1971), Leif Segerstam (1977-1987), Jukka-Pekka Saraste (1987-2001), and Sakari Oramo (2003-2012). During Saraste's tenure, touring became routine, carrying the orchestra across Europe, Asia, the United States, and the Canary Islands.

Through both performances and recordings the Finnish Radio Symphony has emerged as a leading champion of living Finnish composers, introducing each year newly commissioned scores funded by the broadcaster. Its catalog has spotlighted Aulis Sallinen, Joonas Kokkonen, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and numerous others. A 2005 release of Magnus Lindberg's Clarinet Concerto garnered a Gramophone Award. Hannu Lintu assumed the chief-conductorship in 2013 and guided the orchestra to a second Gramophone Award with the 2018 album Bartók: Violin Concertos, featuring violinist Christian Tetzlaff. In 2019 the ensemble appeared on the Ondine disc Kaija Saariaho: True Fire; Trans; Ciel d'hiver, which received a Grammy Award nomination. Nicholas Collon succeeded Lintu in 2021 and led three albums in 2023 alone; the following year the orchestra recorded further Lindberg works spotlighting violist Lawrence Power as well as Outi Tarkiainen: Midnight Sun Variations.