The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatia’s best-known orchestra, started its successful career as long ago as 1871. In the last few decades, under the batons of their chief-conductors Friedrich Zaun, Milan Horvat, Lovro von Matacic, Mladen Basic, Pavle Despalj, Pavel Kogan, Kazushi Ôno and Alexander Rahbari the orchestra has undergone a period of artistic flowering and has reinforced its international reputation during many guest appearances all round the world. Since October 2003 the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra has been led by their chief-conductor Vjekoslav Sutej.
In the opinion of music experts, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra is characterised by a distinctive and easily identifiable colour of sound and a genuine feeling for melody and rhythm, which is a trait of only the best ensembles. A large number of renowned conductors have performed with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra among others Lorin Maazel, Leopold Hager, Zubin Mehta, Rafael Frühbeck De Bourgos, Ivor Bolton, Dmitri Kitaenko, Valery Gergiev, Sir Neville Marriner. In the last decade, the orchestra partnered among others instrumental and vocal soloists such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Barbara Hendricks, Ruza Pospis Baldani, Dunja Vejzovic, Renata Pokupic, Tomislav Muzek, Mischa Maisky, Montserrat Caballé, Zoltan Kocsis, Ivo Pogorelic, Lovro Pogorelic and Philippe Entremont.