Orchestre National de France

History

The orchestra was founded as the Orchestre national by decree on 18 February 1934, by French minister of Posts Jean Mistler, with 80 musicians and Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht as musical director. Musicians were under exclusive engagements, prohibiting them from playing with other orchestras such as that of the Paris Opera. Their first concert took place at the Conservatoire de Paris on 13 March 1934. Early principal conductors included Inghelbrecht, Roger Désormière, Eugène Bigot, and Inghelbrecht's assistant Manuel Rosenthal. In 1939, half the musicians were mobilized; the other half settled in Rennes from 26 October 1939 until bombings forced the orchestra to disband on 16 June 1940. The Vichy government recreated the orchestra in March 1941, based in Marseille, without Jewish musicians, including violinist Jeanne Haskil. The orchestra returned to Paris on 1 March 1943. From 1944 it has been based at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, occasionally playing in the pit for opera. After the Liberation, Inghelbrecht was replaced by Manuel Rosenthal as principal conductor. The orchestra was reorganized under the national radio, which underwent name changes: Radiodiffusion Nationale, Radiodiffusion Française (23 March 1945), Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (9 February 1949), Office de radiodiffusion-télévision française (27 June 1964), and Radio France (1 January 1975). The orchestra's name changed accordingly: Orchestre national (1934–1945), Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française (1945–1949), Orchestre national de la Radio-télévision française (1949–1964), Orchestre national de l'Office de radiodiffusion-télévision française (1964–1974), and Orchestre national de France (1975–present).