National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
(known as Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra before 1994)
is one of the best symphony orchestras from the Eastern Europe The NSOU was formed in 1918 by Counsel of Ministers of Ukraine. The first conductor was Oleksander Horilyj. Natan Rachlin was Artist Director of the orchestra from 1937 for 25 years. Konstantin Simeonov, Stefan Turchak, Volodymyr Kozhuchar, Fedir Hlushchenko, Igor Blazhkov and Theodore Kuchar consequently conducted the orchestra as Principal Conductors. From April 1999, Volodymyr Sirenko is Chief Conductor of the Orchestra.
Other conductors who worked with the NSOU included Leopold Stokovsky, Igor Markevitch, Kurt Sanderling, Evgeny Mravinsky, Kirill Kondrashyn, Evgeny Svetlanov, Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Soloists who have performed with the NSOU included Artur Rubinstein, Yehudy Menuhin, Isaak Stern, David Oistrach, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, Gideon Kremer, Oleh Krysa, Monserrat Kaballe, Jose Carreras.
The NSOU was trusted with the premier performances by the works of following composers: Sergiy Prokofiev, Dmitriy Shostakovich, Aram Khatchaturian, Boris Lyatoshynsky, Levko Revutsky.
The Orchestra has gained international recognition over remarkable short period of time. After an appearance in Moscow, the composer Shostakovich commented: "This orchestra has as distinguished a group of performers as one would be likely to find anywhere. The ensemble of the orchestra is of the highest level. In addition, the various soloist and instrumental groups within the Orchestra play exceptionally and complement each other beautifully - as would greatest of the world's symphony orchestras."

In the last few years, the NSOU has recorded more 40 compact discs included Ukrainian and International repertoires - the most recorded by any orchestra from the former USSR. In 1994, the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) rated NSOU's recording of Boris Lyatoshynsky's Symphonies No.2 and No.3 as "The Best Recording of the Year".
The NSOU has concert's tours to Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Belgium and Switzerland.

"BRAVOS HAIL ORCHESTRA VIRTUES."
...A program rich with energy and unusually adventurous placed the National Symphony orchestra of Ukraine in a highly favorable light when it gave its only Sidney concert during an II concert Australian tour on Friday. This is an orchestra with many virtues. Its strings can conjure up a vibrant songfuiness; the woodwinds have a fruity, penetrating ripeness; the brass could endanger the walls of Jericho; the percussion might wake the dead...

The Sydney Morning Herald

The NSOU consist of 98 musicians. The repertoire of the NSOU includes complete symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Bruckner, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Kalinnikov, Rachmaninov, Skriabin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Lyatoshynsky, Martinu, modern music. Orchestra is ready perform classical and modern operas, ballets and accompaniments.

information from official site: http://www.symphony.org.ua/
photo from official site (in Ukrainian): http://www.symphony.org.ua/