What is NHK Symphony Orchestra?
[[Image:NHKSO head office.jpeg|thumb|The headquarter of NHK Symphony Orchestra]] Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai The '''NHK Symphony Orchestra''' is a [[Japan]]ese [[orchestra]] based in [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]. In [[Japanese language|Japanese]] it is written: NHK交響楽団, pronounced: Enueichikei Kōkyō Gakudan. When the orchestra was started in [[1926]] it was called ''New Symphony Orchestra''. It was the first large professional orchestra in Japan. Later, it changed its name to ''Japan Symphony Orchestra''. In [[1951]] it started to get money from the Japanese radio station NHK (Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai), so it changed its name again to the name it has now. It is thought of as the best orchestra in Japan. They have played in many parts of the world, including at the [[BBC Proms]] in [[London]]. [[Vladimir Ashkenazy]] is the orchestra's main conductor (music director) and [[Charles Dutoit]] is music director emeritus. [[Wolfgang Sawallisch]] is honorary conductor laureate. ==Permanent Conductors, Music Directors and Principal Guest Conductors== *[[Josef König]] (April 1927–April 1929) *[[Hidemaro Konoye]] (January 1926–February 1935) *[[Nicolai Schifferblatt]] (July 1929–July 1936) *[[Joseph Rosenstock]] (August 1936–September 1946 ''full-time conductor''; March 1956–March 1957 ''Principal Conductor'') *[[Hisatada Otaka]] (April 1942–February 1951 ''full-time conductor'') *[[Kazuo Yamada]] (April 1942–July 1951 ''full-time conductor'') *[[Shin'ichi Takata]] (April 1944–May 1951 ''full-time conductor'') *[[Kurt Wöss]] (September 1951–August 1954 ''Principal Conductor'') *[[Niklaus Aeschbacher]] (August 1954–March 1956 ''Principal Conductor'') *[[Wilhelm Loibner]] (March 1957–February 1959 ''Principal Conductor'') *[[Wilhelm Schuchter]] (February 1959–March 1962 ''Principal Conductor'') *[[Alexander Rumpf]] (August 1964–July 1965 ''Principal Conductor'') *[[Hiroyuki Iwaki]] (February 1969–June 2006 ''Permanent Conductor'') *[[Yuzo Toyama]] (February 1979– ''Permanent Conductor'') *[[Tadashi Mori]] (February 1979–May 1987 ''Permanent