西德广播交响乐团（原名科隆广播交响乐团）成立于1947年，位于德国科隆市，是西德广播公司旗下的专属乐团。乐团自成立以来，除了为广播电视工作提供高水平、高质量的演奏以外，还曾经与许多指挥大师和演奏大师合作，并参与许多世界知名的音乐节等活动。同时，乐团还一直特别致力于音乐普及和音乐教育工作。

曾经担任乐团常任指挥的著名指挥家包括克里斯托弗·冯·多赫南依、若杉弘、加里·贝蒂尼、谢苗·比契科夫等，与乐团合作过的其他指挥大师还有埃里希·克莱伯、奥托·克伦佩勒、君特·旺德，库特·桑德林、迪米特里·米特罗波洛斯、谢尔盖·切利比达凯、卡尔·伯姆、约瑟夫·凯尔伯特、乔治·塞尔和卡尔·玛利亚·朱利尼等。另外，乐团还曾与许多世界级演奏大师联袂演出，包括皮埃尔·富尼埃、威尔海姆·巴克豪斯、盖扎·安达、弗里德里希·古尔达、瓦尔特·吉泽金、莱昂·费舍尔和罗伯特·卡萨德絮等。乐团在欧洲各国和亚洲、美洲大陆的巡演都大获成功，在全世界建立口碑。

乐团曾经与RCA、Orfeo、CPO、Hänssler等唱片公司合作推出过许多出色的录音，其中的佼佼者有君特·旺德指挥的布鲁克纳交响曲全集、加里·贝蒂尼指挥的马勒交响曲全集和鲁道夫·巴尔沙伊指挥的肖斯塔科维奇交响曲全集等，并获得过留声机大奖和德国唱片评论奖。乐团致力于推广20世纪现代音乐，斯特拉文斯基、贝里奥、亨策、潘德列茨基、齐默尔曼和施托克豪森等当代著名作曲家都为乐团创作过委约作品。


WDR Symphony Orchestra (Westdeutscher Rundfunkorchester formerly named Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra) was founded in 1947. Located in Cologne, Germany, it is a symphony orchestra of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR, West German Broadcasting). Since founded, it has collaborated with major conductors, soloists and composers in a regular partnership with the major concert halls and festivals characterizes and represents the WDR Symphony Orchestra. In addition, it provides wide range of projects in the field of music education an important contribution to cultural education.

Principle conductors of WDR Symphony Orchestra include Christoph von Dohnányi, Hiroshi Wakasugi, Gary Bertini, Semyon Bychkov, etc. Other great conductors that have cooperated with the orchestra include Erich Kleiber, Otto Klemperer, Günter Wand, Kurt Sanderling, Dimitri Mitropolous, Sergei Celibidache, Karl Böhm, Joseph Keilbert, George Szell and Carlo Maria Giulini. Besides, WDR Symphony Orchestra has also performed with world famous soloists including Pierre Fournier, Wilhelm Backhaus, Geza Anda, Friedrich Gulda, Walter Gieseking, Leon Fleisher and Robert Casadesus. Successful joint tours in Europe, America and Asia have contributed to a significant increase of the international reputation of the WDR Symphony Orchestra.

The orchestra have made outstanding recordings for RCA, Orfeo, CPO, Hänssler, etc. The famous recordings of the orchestra include a complete symphony cycle of Bruckner conducted by Günter Wand, a complete Mahler symphony cycle by Gary Bertini and a complete Shostakovich symphony cycle by Rudolf Barshai, and the orchestra got German Record Critics Awards and the Gramophone. The orchestra endeavors to promote the 20-Century music, and it has commissioned and premiered works from such composers as Igor Stravinsky, Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze, Krzysztof Penderecki, Bernd Alois Zimmermann and Karlheinz Stockhausen.