[5] From 1950 to 1971 the orchestra was named Sinfonie-Orchester des Hessischen Rundfunks, from then to 2005 Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt.

[8][9] Hans Rosbaud,[10] its first conductor, put his stamp on the orchestra's orientation up to the year 1937 by focusing not only on traditional music but also contemporary compositions.

Alban Berg, Arnold Schönberg, Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Anton Webern and Paul Hindemith participated in the Radio Frankfurt concerts.

[4] After World War II, Kurt Schröder and Winfried Zillig committed themselves to rebuilding the orchestra and a broad musical repertoire.

[15] Dean Dixon[16][17] and Eliahu Inbal turned the ensemble into an internationally acclaimed orchestra in the three decades from 1961 to 1990.

Dixon's repertoire included Hans Werner Henze, Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Carl Nielsen, Franz Berwald and Charles Ives.

[23] His recordings include orchestral works by Scriabin[24] and the piano concertos by Prokofiev.

[18][28] For example the music of Jean Sibelius, Eduard Tubin, Arvo Pärt and Erkki-Sven Tüür.

[33] In December 2019, the orchestra announced the appointment of Alain Altinoglu as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with an initial contract of three years.

[34] In May 2023, the Hessischer Rundfunk announced an extension of Altinoglu's contract as the orchestra's chief conductor through the 2027–2028 season.

[46] The Rheingau Musik Festival is traditionally opened in Eberbach Abbey by a concert of the hr-Sinfonieorchester, radio broadcast live.