We are on Air - 100 Years of Radio Orchestras

“Attention, attention! This is the broadcast station Berlin Voxhaus Welle 400. We bring the brief announcement that the Berlin Voxhaus broadcasting station is commencing entertainment broadcasting.” With these words, the first “Funk-Stunde” starts in Berlin on October 29, 1923. To this day, the zero hour of radio entertainment not only stands for the technical advancement of broadcasting, but it also paves the way for a new body of sound: the radio orchestra.

Today, Germany has the most radio orchestras in the world. The oldest among them are the MDR Symphony Orchestra, founded by musicians from Leipzig in January 1923, and the RSO Berlin. They were followed a short time later by today’s HR Symphony Orchestra. In France, the tradition continues, among others, with the Orchestre National de France; in Great Britain, the BBC operates five full-time orchestras. Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands also look back on a strong tradition. The NHK Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1926, and the predecessor orchestra of the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra in Vienna was founded in 1945.

Radio orchestras have also focused on regular performances of contemporary orchestral works since their inception. This founding mission still plays an important role today. But what other demands are placed on radio orchestras? In recent years, many orchestras have fallen victim to mergers or even closures due to increasing pressure to legitimize themselves and save money. How can orchestras continue to justify their existence?

The 52-minute documentary “We are on Air – The Story of the Radio Orchestra” is the first comprehensive look at the development of radio orchestras – a cultural history from the technological age closely linked to the history of the 20th century. At the same time, it explores their vision for the future. A film about tradition and innovation, identity, new music and the radio itself.