The Bayerisches Staatsorchester emerged from one of the oldest orchestras in Germany and is now one of the best opera orchestras in the world. Several times it was voted Orchestra of the Year by 50 international critics in a survey conducted by the magazine "Opernwelt". The Bayerisches Staatsorchester and the Bayerische Staatsoper look back on a history of almost 500 years. Thus, it is one of the few cultural institutions whose tradition covers almost the entire European music history. Having its roots in the Münchner Hofkapelle, the orchestra brought several world premieres to the stage, such as W.A. Mozart's Idomeneo or Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg as well as Das Rheingold and Die Walküre. Since then, the most important artists of their times have served as music directors, from Richard Strauss, Hermann Levi, Bruno Walter and Hans Knappertsbusch, to Georg Solti, Joseph Keilberth, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano and Kirill Petrenko. The Bayerisches Staatsorchester impresses with its versatility, both in the pit during opera and ballet performances as well as on stage when giving symphony and chamber concerts. The activities in Munich are completed by numerous guest performances and concert tours which regularly take the orchestra to the world's most important music centres.