The first crisis in the orchestra's existence occurred in 1950, when the then Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk Hamburg in Hanover – today's NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hanover – and the majority of the NSO's musicians switched over to broadcasting.
This led to the refoundation of the orchestra under new sponsorship, consisting of the city of Hanover and the state of Lower Saxony.
In addition to Thierfelder, Rainer Koch was appointed second conductor from 1961–1965.
As guest conductors, Hans Zanotelli and Franz-Paul Decker were engaged for a series of concerts.
In 1968, due to lack of funds, the NSO could not continue to be sponsored by the state of Lower Saxony, and the orchestra was therefore dissolved at the end of the 1967/68 season.