Symphony Ortchestra of the Albanian Radio and Television
The Symphony Orchestra of the Albanian Radio and Television was founded on May 16, 1962, as the largest orchestral formation of the time. The orchestra members were mainly young musicians who studied in the country, as well as specialized professionals abroad in Prague, Moscow, Leipzig and several different European countries. Initially, it was called the “Symphonic Orchestra of Radio and Cinematography” and then the “Symphonic Orchestra of Albanian Radio and Television”.
The purpose of creating this formation, initially at Radio Tirana and later within the institution of the Albanian Radio and Television, was to provide and cover musical broadcasts for hours, enabling the realization of many artistic activities that this institution conceived and realized. The creation of the orchestra marked a new stage in the cultural and artistic development of the country.
The founder of this orchestra was Abdulla Grimci, the first concert was held on August 20, 1962 under the direction of Mustafa Krantje and works by Haydn, Mozart and Mendelssohn were played, the violin concerto in E minor, the first time executed by 17-year-old Ibrahim Madhi.
The creation of this great musical formation brought an extraordinary, sensitive and immediate impact on musical development throughout the country, bringing steps in the overall cultural development. From 1964 to the 2000s, the emblematic conductor of this orchestra wasthe great Ferdinand Deda, who was not only a conductor but also a composer, orchestrator, instrumentalist, an artist with extraordinary energy and contribution to the Symphony Orchestra.
An important role in the artistic and developmental activity of this orchestra from 1978 to the 1990s was also played by the well-known conductor Eno Koço as the leader of many symphonic and vocal concerts, recordings of film music, concerts abroad, etc. Even though he left the country after the 90s, Eno Koço never severed ties with the RTSH Symphony Orchestra. After 1992, when the country entered the phase of transition and major socio-cultural changes, the Symphony Orchestra is led by the well-known conductor Jetmir Barbullushi.
The international classical, romantic and contemporary repertoire occupies the most important place in the Orchestra's concert activity today. The level of the Orchestra has been raised from year to year not only by the numerous and diverse execution of this repertoire by virtuoso Albanian and foreign instrumentalists, but also by the experience and skill of world-renowned conductors who reveal their vision on the performing styles, suggesting concrete requirements for a more compact, harmonious and contemporary orchestral harmony. Names such as Hikmet Şimşek, Doron Solomon, Massimo de Bernardt, Leonid Nikolajev, Le FiFi and many others have left a significant impact on the Orchestra's performing skills and have made it raise its performing level and equalize in standard with many of its sister orchestras in Europe.
The Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra has also shown its high level in concerts given abroad where it has faced foreign audiences who have applauded it for a long time, such as in Turkey, Italy, Greece, in the European competition of symphony orchestras organized in Montenegro (Podgorica), not including the concerts given in Pristina and wider Kosovo, or in Ohrid, Macedonia, where music critics have especially highly appreciated its interpretative level.
Various formations such as string ensembles or wind ensembles organized within the large formation of the orchestra have given their concerts throughout Europe, while its special soloists have participated in international meetings and competitions and have given concerts as soloists, winning many trophies. The artistic activity of this formation is noted in hundreds of thousands of hours of radio and TV broadcasts converted into tapes andCDs, in film soundtracks and in many artistic activities that developed the musical life in the country which the orchestra carries out with great success even today, such as the Concert Season with instrumental and symphonic works, the Song Festivals at RTSH, recital concerts with various artists, national artistic activities, weekly concerts that are broadcast by RTSH at any time. The recording fund of this orchestra since its founding includes, as recordings of great value, great works by the great composers Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Grieg and of course many Albanian composers.
The Albanian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra is considered today as a current portrait of a national and entire national value for its values based on the good will of dozens and dozens of orchestra members, many of whom are absent and some active today since its founding, and many, many other artists who bring new spirit to their energies and young age. It is an obligation for everyone that this formation has an attention and care not only to preserve those achievements that have been consolidated with efforts to date but to take it even further, to be more representative not only for RTSH as a valuable component of which it is but for its contribution to the national musical cultural development.
It has been honored with the “Naim Frashëri Artë” awards in 2007, the “Career Award” in 2009, as well as the “Nder i Kombit” in 2017.
