The orchestra's musical roots trace back to Mahler and Mozart, and it is well known for its characteristic dark, full and resonant sound.
After the end of the Second World War, a number of top German-speaking musicians from Bohemia and Moravia arrived in Bamberg, after having been expelled by the Beneš decrees.
His artistic work, his reputation and his stringent approach to programming could hardly be overestimated in terms of shaping the Bamberg Symphony's national and international profile.
From the very beginning, Keilberth's aim was to increase the number of radio recordings with the orchestra and to go on a tour in Germany and abroad.
[5] In May 1950, as part of a grant from the Free State of Bavaria, the administrative district of Upper Franconia and the City of Bamberg, a work agreement was also signed with the Bavarian Broadcasting (Bayerischer Rundfunk),[6] which scheduled a constant number of productions – the beginning of a media partnership that continues to this day.
During the Keilberth era, numerous renowned guest conductors were invited to conduct the „Bamberger“, including Eugen Jochum, Hans Rosbaud, Fritz Lehmann, Georg Solti, Clemens Krauss, Lovro von Matačić, Heinrich Hollreiser, Robert Heger, André Cluytens, Heinz Wallberg and Rudolf Kempe.
Jochum's worldwide recognition as a Bruckner interpreter and his successes at the Würzburg Mozart Festival had cemented his reputation.
[8] As Jochum's successor, the Hungarian István Kertész was introduced, but died in a swimming accident on the beach in Tel Aviv a few months before taking up his post, on 16 April 1973.
On 4 February 1984, Loughran conducted his last concert with the Bamberg Symphony and the collaboration ended by mutual agreement on 31 August 1983.
Together with Horst Stein, the Bamberg Symphony travelled through Germany and to the major European music capitals as well as several times to Asia and South America, for example.
Jonathan Nott regularly performed with the Bamberg Symphony at all the major national and international festivals and went on numerous concert tours domestic and abroad.
The performance in Castel Gandolfo in honour of Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of the diocese in Bamberg is one of the outstanding milestones of his era.
During his tenure, Jonathan Nott focused on the symphonies of Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms, the classical modernism of Béla Bartók and Igor Stravinsky, as well as the works of György Ligeti.
Works by Jörg Widmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Bruno Mantovani received their world or German premieres in concerts of the Bamberg Symphony under Jonathan Nott, who was also responsible for concert performances of Beethoven's „Fidelio“ and Richard Wagner's „Ring des Nibelungen“ and „Tristan und Isolde“.
In autumn 2016, Jakub Hrůša succeeded Jonathan Nott[10] and became the sixth Chief Conductor in the history of the Bamberg Symphony.
Hrůša cultivates the distinctive „Bohemian sound“ and focuses on masterpieces of music history as well as world premieres and discoveries in his programming.
In May 2019, the Bamberg Symphony opened the 74th Prague Spring Music Festival with him with the famous symphonic poem „Má vlast“ from their Bohemian homeland.
Their first CD together was released shortly after Hrůša took office in October 2016, with Bedrich Smetana's „Má vlast“ (My Fatherland) on the label Tudor.
The regular recordings and productions with renowned artists on the podium and on the instrument attract widespread public and professional attention.
After Hrůša was made an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London in April 2023, he was awarded the Bavarian Culture Prize on 16 November 2023 for his services to the Bamberg Symphony.
They were the first to accompany official state delegations abroad after the Second World War and were the first German orchestra to visit France at that time.
The winners today include renowned conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Shi-Yeon Sung, Ainārs Rubiķis, Lahav Shani, Kahchun Wong, Finnegan Downie Dear and, most recently in 2023, Giuseppe Mengoli.
The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Bayerische Rundfunk have maintained a close media partnership since 1950, resulting in more than 2,500 works recorded for radio and a discography that have built up over the decades.
The orchestra also has a close relationship with Deutsche Grammophon and Accentus Music, which has resulted in numerous releases, some of them award-winning.