Bavarian State Orchestra

One of the world's oldest instrumental ensembles, the Bavarian State Orchestra participates in Bavarian State Opera productions but also performs independently. The ultimate origins of the Bavarian State Orchestra date back to 1523 when Bavarian court composer Ludwig Senfl established ongoing vocal and instrumental ensembles in Munich. In 1781, Mozart conducted the orchestra in the world premiere of his opera Idomeneo, and the group gave the premieres of four of Wagner's operas. The list of General Music Directors of the Bavarian State Orchestra from the 19th century to the present reads like a who's who of the greats of German and European conducting; as of 2021, Vladimir Jurowski held this position. In addition to numerous operatic recordings, the Bavarian State Orchestra has issued instrumental recordings on its own. In 2013, Kent Nagano led the orchestra in a performance of the original 1887 version of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8.