Danish National Choir

choir

The Danish National Choir was founded in 1932 with the purpose of performing the wide-ranging repertoire of oratorios and symphonic works with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. The choir numbers 75 professional singers, 31 of whom are permanently employed forming the chamber choir. The remaining 44 singers are all under 5-year contracts. Every season the choir appears regularly within the Thursday Concert Series of the DNRSO and frequently participates in CD-recordings with the orchestra as well as performing in light opera pro-ductions with the Radio Concert Orchestra. Throughout the years the choir has performed with special acclaim under conductors such as Fritz Busch, Rafael Kubelik, Sergiu Celibidache, Kurt Sanderling, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Marek Janowski, Christoph Eschenbach and the Chief Conductors of the DNRSO Herbert Blomstedt (1967-77), Leif Segerstam (1989-95), Ulf Schirmer (1995-98) and the newly appointed Gerd Albrecht.

In 1937 the smaller full time professional chamber choir was established by Mogens Wöldike in order to develop the art of a cappella singing and to improve the conditions for commissioning of new works as well as the performing of already existing choral music of high quality. It is the declared goal of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation that the choir should function as an inspiration for composers of a cappella music, and performing a cappella music actually takes up a little more than 50% of the choir’s 210 annual working days. Diversity, however, is one of the choir’s trademarks; - per definition all musical eras are part of the choir’s repertoire. Mogens Wöldike was very much part of the choir until the 1970’ies, when John Alldis became Chief Conductor (1972-77). Per Enevold led the choir during the years 1985-88 until Swedish Stefan Parkman in 1989 was appointed Chief Conductor. Professor Uwe Gronostay, known also then as the artistic director of the Nederlands Kamer-koor, was Principal Guest Conductor 1992-1998, a position taken over by Stephen Layton as and from 1999.

The Danish National Choir has won great acclaim through its more than 40 dacapo, DECCA and CHANDOS CD-releases of both a cappella works and symphonic works with the DNRSO. Participating in a.o. Stockholm New Music, Ultima Festival (Oslo), The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and Tampere International Choir Festival as well as the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall and concerts at Alte Oper in Frankfurt has certainly confirmed the choir’s position on the great music stages of Europe. Since 1948 the Danish National Choir has made more than 15 tours in Denmark and more than 45 tours in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia.

Live Dates

Langgaard og Dausgaard indtager London
Rued Langgaards storværk "Sfærernes Musik" får sin engelske førsteopførelse med næsten et århundredes forsinkelse, og udkommer samtidig på en ny CD.
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Langgaard and Dausgaard conquer London
Rued Langgaard's grandiose "Music of the Spheres" is given its UK premiere almost a century late at this year's BBC Proms
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29 March 2010 Sequenza 21

Per Nørgård:Symphonies 3 and 7
"You hear everything that happens and everyone is performing on their highest level."
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01 February 2010 Gramophone

Asger Hamerik: The Symphonies
"Top-notch sound from Dacapo makes this a highly enjoyable set."
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25 November 2009 Musicweb International

Asger Hamerik: The Symphonies
"Dacapo do their usual truly outstanding job in documenting these discs..."
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01 July 2009 Gramophone

Rued Langgaard: The Symphonies
"Dausgaard, Danish Radio and Dacapo do the cycle proud."
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17 June 2009 Classics Today

Per Nørgård: Symphonies 3 & 7
"If you're looking for some really good contemporary music ... then this powerfully engineered production offers a perfect opportunity to satisfy your craving."
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Image: Camilla Utke Schiøler

Discography

	Music of the Spheres Rued Langgaard SACD 6.220535 (2010) Rued Langgaard’s most visionary works form the impressive conclusion to Dacapo’s acclaimed Dausgaard-Langgaard cycle
	Antikrist Rued Langgaard BD 2.110409BD (2010) Blu-ray version of the acclaimed DVD production of Rued Langgaard's doomsday opera
	The Symphonies [4-SACD Box set] Asger Hamerik SACD 6.200002 (2009) Denmark’s most international 19th-century composer steps out in all his romantic orchestral glory
	The Key Masterpieces Vagn Holmboe CD 8.226101-02 (2009) An outstanding introduction to the clear-sighted master of 20th-century Nordic music
	The Symphonies [7-SACD box set] Rued Langgaard SACD 6.200001 (2009) All Langgaard’s 16 symphonies collected in one beautiful box; a watershed release!
	Symphonies 3 and 7 Per Nørgård SACD 6.220547 (2009) Sensational recording of Nørgård’s 7th Symphony and his epoch-making Symphony no. 3
	Symphonies 15-16 Rued Langgaard SACD 6.220519 (2008) The last two symphonies and a handful of short pieces by the Romantic firebrand Langgaard
	Corona Hanne Ørvad CD 8.226534 (2008) Spacious, magical choral music sung by three virtuoso ensembles
	Symphonies 12-14 Rued Langgaard SACD 6.220517 (2006) Three symphonies that cover the whole field of Langgaard’s corrosive, schizophrenic view of music
	Antikrist Rued Langgaard SACD 6.220523-24 (2006)
	Den lille pige med svovstikkerne; Die Seejungfrau August Enna; Alexander Zemlinsky CD 8.226048 (2006) Zemlinsky meets Danish opera in a double tribute to Hans Christian Andersen
	Requiem Asger Hamerik CD 8.226033 (2006) A full-blown romantic masterpiece by Berlioz’ favourite Danish pupil
	Antikrist (DVD) Rued Langgaard DVD 2.110402 (2005) Langgaard’s ecstatic vision of doom in prizewinning recording. Indescribable!
	Maskarade Carl Nielsen CD 6.220507-08 (2004) Nielsen’s stage masterpiece in a classic recording with the conductor John Frandsen
	Choral Works Ib Nørholm CD 8.224700 (2004) Winter music of great purity and poetry by a master composer of our time
	Requiem for Nietzsche Vagn Holmboe CD 8.224207 (2002) An impressive, uncompromising oratorio based on the life of Nietzsche – a major work in Danish music
	Symphonies 6-8 Rued Langgaard CD 8.224180 (2001) First CD in the definitive series of recordings of Langgaard’s strange and wonderful symphonies
	Archipel des solitudes Niels Rosing-Schow CD 8.224163 (2001)
	Renaissance P.E. Lange-Müller CD 8.224109 (2000)
	The Tower of Babel Ludolf Nielsen CD 8.224157 (2000)
	Yndigt dufter Danmark Svend S. Schultz CD 8.224108 (1999)
	Liden Kirsten J.P.E. Hartmann CD 8.224106-07 (1999) The beloved ballad opera with a libretto by Hans Christian Andersen. Denmark in a nutshell!
	The Hallelujah of Creation F.L.Ae. Kunzen CD 8.224070 (1998) Kunzen’s oratorio and his only symphony are jewels of Danish Vienna Classicism
	Der var engang P.E. Lange-Müller CD 8.224084 (1997) Songs and music from the Romantic fairytale comedy. A bestseller 100 years ago and today!
	Moses Herman D. Koppel CD 8.224046 (1996)
	Luna; Symphony No. 3; Twilight Per Nørgård CD 8.224041 (1996)
	Holger Danske F.L.Ae. Kunzen CD 8.224036-37 (1995)
	Siddharta Per Nørgård CD 8.224031-32 (1995)
	Vocal and Instrumental Works Bernhard Lewkovitch DCCD 9207-08 (1993) Double CD offering a retrospective portrait of a unique figure in recent Danish sacred music
	Royal Music DCCD 9020 (1992) Music from the internationally oriented Danish Royal Court around the year 1600