WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
The WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne was formed in 1947 as part of the then North West German Radio (NWDR) and belongs nowadays to the West German Radio. It is not merely the studio orchestra of the WDR for radio and television productions but also presents numerous concerts in the Kölner Philharmonie and throughout the transmission area. Its outstanding reputation has been acquired in cooperation with its principal conductors – Christoph von Dohnányi, Zdenek Macal, Hiroshi Wakasugi, Gary Bertini and Hans Vonk. Celebrated guest conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Karl Böhm, Fritz Busch, Herbert von Karajan, Erich Kleiber, Otto Klemperer, Lorin Maazel, André Previn, Zubin Mehta, Sir Georg Solti and Günter Wand have also stood on the orchestra’s rostrum.

Impressive examples of the extraordinary quality of the WDR Symphony Orchestra and its stylistic versatility are the successful concert tours throughout Europe, Russia and Japan, its regular radio and television broadcasts and the numerous recordings which set high musical standards.

Apart from promoting the classical and romantic repertoire, the WDR Symphony Orchestra is known for its interpretation of works of the 20th century. Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze, Mauricio Kagel, Krzysztof Penderecki, Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Bernd Alois Zimmermann are among the contemporary composers who have performed their works – mainly compositions commissioned by the radio station – with the WDR Symphony Orchestra.

Semyon Bychkov was appointed Principal Conductor of the orchestra in 1997. Under his leadership the orchestra toured very successfully in Japan, Europe, South America and the USA.

Eivind Aadland
is one of Norway’s most respected conductors. He was Chief Conductor and Artistic Leader of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra for seven seasons from 2004, during which time he conducted the complete Beethoven and Mahler symphony cycles. His extensive work with Scandinavian orchestras includes regular guest engagements with the Oslo and Bergen Philharmonics, the Stavanger Symphony, the Gothenburg Symphony and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. In addition Aadland has conducted critically acclaimed productions of Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte and Die Fledermaus for Den Norske Opera, Oslo.

Aadland has also worked extensively in the Far East and Australia. In 2010 he led the Trondheim Symphony on a seven-concert tour to China and made his debut with the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul. In 2011 he launched his tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane.

Eivind Aadland is a frequent visitor to the Oslo Philharmonic and WDR Symphony Orchestra Köln. He has also worked with Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Belgique, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lausanne and Scottish Chamber Orchestras and the symphony orchestras of Melbourne, Tasmania, Iceland, Finnish Radio, Bamberg and SWR Stuttgart. Engagements in recent seasons have included debut performances with the Rotterdam and Seoul Philharmonics, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Further engagements in recent seasons include the Trondheim and Iceland Symphony Orchestras, and a return to the Bergen Philharmonic to conduct a new visualisation by artist Alexander Polzin of Grieg’s Peer Gynt with further performances by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. Current highlights include concerts with the Oslo Philharmonic, WDR Köln, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique and the Staatskapelle Weimar.

Aadland’s prolific discography spans a broad repertoire range and underlines his status as a tireless champion of Norwegian music. In November 2015 the Audite label issued the final instalment of a five- volume set of Grieg’s complete symphonic works with the WDR Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded the symphonic works of Eivind Groven; and the complete music for violin and orchestra of Arne Nordheim for BIS Records. Aadland’s catalogue includes a recording with the Bergen Philharmonic of Irgens-Jensen's works and the music of Ole Bull with the Trondheim Symphony on the Simax label; and two CDs devoted to the orchestral music of Irgens-Jensen and Schjelderup for CPO Records. He has also recorded for Hyperion, ASV, IMP Classics and Koch. Aadland recently recorded an album for EMI Classics with the trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, complete with transcriptions and arrangements of songs by, among others, Grieg, Strauss, Dvořák, Sibelius, Korngold, Mahler and Weill.