The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1935 in Warsaw through the initiative of the well-known Polish conductor and composer Grzegorz Fitelberg, under whose direction the orchestra worked until the outbreak of World War II. In March 1945 the eminent Polish conductor Witold Rowicki revived it in Katowice, and in 1947 Grzegorz Fitelberg became its artistic director, on his return to Poland. After his death in 1953, the orchestra was headed by some of the best known Polish conductors, including Jan Krenz (1953-68) and Kazimierz Kord (1969-73). From 1983 and for the next seventeen years Antoni Wit was the orchestra's artistic director. In September 2000 Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa was appointed director-manager and for the 2001/2002 season Gabriel Chmura was appointed music director of the orchestra.

The orchestra has made numerous archival recordings for Polish Radio, among them many world première recordings, as a result of cooperation with many Polish and foreign contemporary composers. It has also recorded nearly 160 compact discs for Polish and foreign record companies. The five Piano Concertos by Prokofiev under Antoni Wit with the soloist Kun Woo Paik for Naxos (8.550565 and 8.550566) were awarded the Diapason d'Or and the Grand Prix du Disque de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque 1992. Their recording of Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony under Antoni Wit for Naxos (8.554478-79) was awarded the 2002 Cannes Classical Award.

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