As such, they were used for purposes of propaganda until, depleted by assignments to work in munitions factories, the orchestra closed down on 1 September 1944.

Under the direction of Josef Krips, they quickly rebuilt a modern repertoire after ten years of isolation, and travelled to the Bregenz Festival for the first time in the summer of 1946.

In 1959, the orchestra performed for Pope John XXIII at Vatican City, leading up to the debut of Wolfgang Sawallisch.

Krips returned as artistic advisor in the interim between Sawallisch's departure and the arrival of Carlo Maria Giulini as principal conductor.

In March 2018, the orchestra announced the appointment of Orozco-Estrada as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.

[7] Following reports that the orchestra had planned not to extend his initial contract and conflicts with upper-level management,[8] Orozco-Estrada resigned as chief conductor on 12 April 2022, with immediate effect.