RAI National Symphony Orchestra Short Videos Collection
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About Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Rai (RAI National Symphony Orchestra)
The history of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai goes back to 1931 when the new public radio authority founded its first symphony orchestra in Torino, later joined by orchestras in Roma, Milano and Napoli. Over the years, the various orchestras have been directed by all the major conductors of the day, from Vittorio Gui to Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, Antonio Guarnieri, Igor Stravinskij, Leopold Stokowski, Sergiu Celibidache, Carlo Maria Giulini, Mario Rossi, Lorin Maazel, Thomas Schippers, Zubin Mehta and Wolfgang Sawallisch. Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti and Giuseppe Sinopoli have all made important debuts with the four orchestras.
In 1994 the four orchestras were merged in Torino. The new Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai (OSN Rai) made its official debut with Georges Prêtre and Giuseppe Sinopoli. Since then, the original members have been joined by some of the best young instrumentalists. Juraj Valčuha has been its Principal Conductor since November 2009. Jeffrey Tate was the First Guest Conductor from 1998 to 2002, when he took on the role of Honorary Conductor. From 2001 to 2007 Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos was its Principal Conductor. Gianandrea Noseda was the first Guest Conductor from 2003 to 2006. From 1996 to 2001, Eliahu Inbal was Honorary Conductor of the Orchestra. Other important figures who have conducted the OSN Rai include Carlo Maria Giulini, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Mstislav Rostropovič, Myung-Whun Chung, Riccardo Chailly, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Yuri Ahronovich, Marek Janowski, Dmitrij Kitaenko, Aleksandr Lazarev, Valery Gergiev, Gerd Albrecht, Yutaka Sado, Mikko Franck, James Conlon and Roberto Abbado.
Director: Andrea LORUSSO CAPUTI
