The orchestra was co-founded by Ernest Ansermet, Louis Fourestier and Alfred Cortot and gave its first concert on 19 October 1928 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
[1] The financial support for the orchestra came from wealthy sponsors such as Gustave Lyon, director of Pleyel, two banker Ménard brothers, and the Princess de Polignac.
[2] The aim of the new orchestra was to present less-known works of major composers as well as contemporary music and the central concert repertoire, playing to a high standard.
The orchestra toured to Belgium and Holland in 1930, then in late 1931 to fifteen cities, including Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Dresden and Vienna; in 1932 to Brussels and in 1933 to Geneva.
[2] Other recordings with the orchestra include Ravel's La Valse, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, the Bach Double Concerto (with Menuhin and Enescu), and Fête Polonaise from Le roi malgré lui under Monteux,[5] the Symphonie Espagnole under Coppola, works by Gaubert conducted by the composer, Soviet music (Shostakovich, Alexander Mosolov, Yuliy Meitus) conducted by Julius Ehrlich, as well as Bach played by Cortot.