Rued Langgaard (1893 - 1952)

composer

Rued Langgaard had one of the most remarkable careers - and was perhaps the greatest musical talent - in all of Danish music. Langgaard was brought up by his artistic parents to hold arch-Romantic, religio-philosophical views on art. Yet Langgaard was not deaf to the modern development of music, and took his Late Romantic tonal idiom to such highly original extremes that it could no longer maintain its Romantic grounding. This led to the first of the two long pauses in composition in his life, and to a subsequent output of works that were deliberately anachronistic. The Danish musical world looked askance at Rued Langgaard, a lonely eccentric who was the only Dane to go all the way with Late Romanticism. In 1940 he was engaged for the first time in an official capacity, as the cathedral organist in Ribe, far from the music life of the capital. And there he lived, a bitter man, until his death, regarding Carl Nielsen as the epitome of all that was wrong with the music of the age. Nevertheless, one finds traces of Nielsen in the most modernist works of Langgaard. Langgaard wrote over 400 works: sixteen symphonies and many other orchestral works, six string quartets, piano and organ works, choral music, songs and the religious vocal drama Antichrist. It was only at the end of the sixties that eyes were opened to the quite special qualities of his often unique musical idiom. And there are still great works by Langgaard awaiting their first performance.

www.langgaard.dk

Live Dates

04 November 2009 Audiophile Audition

Rued Langgaard: Rose Garden Songs

"If your choral collection needs some refreshing, you've found a perfect starting place."
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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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16 January 2009 Classics Today

Rued Langgaard: The Symphonies
"It's great to see a national label working so hard and so successfully to preserve its cultural heritage."
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Discography

	Antikrist [Blu-ray] Rued Langgaard Blu-ray 2.110409BD - Released: Mar 2010
	Romantic Violin Concertos N.W. Gade, Lange-Müller, Langgaard SACD 6.220562 (2009) Languishingly beautiful music played with soul and brilliance by Christina Åstrand
	Rose Garden Songs Rued Langgaard SACD 6.220561 (2009) New SACD version of Langgaard’s alluring, mysterious a cappella works
	Messis Rued Langgaard SACD 6.220528-29 (2009) Spectacular recording from Copenhagen Cathedral of one of the greatest Late Romantic organ works
	The Symphonies [7-SACD box set] Rued Langgaard SACD 6.200001 (2009) All Langgaard’s 16 symphonies collected in one box; a watershed release!
	Symphonies 15-16 Rued Langgaard SACD 6.220519 (2008) The last two symphonies and a handful of short pieces by the Romantic firebrand Langgaard
	Symphony no. 1 Rued Langgaard SACD 6.220525 (2008) The amazing breakthrough work by the child prodigy Langgaard is still Denmark’s biggest symphony
	Symphonies No. 2 and 3 Rued Langgaard SACD 6.220516 (2007) Two of Langgaard’s most colourful, optimistic symphonies
	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)
	Antikrist (DVD) Rued Langgaard DVD 2.110402 (2005) Langgaard’s ecstatic vision of doom in prizewinning recording. Indescribable!
	Works for Piano Rued Langgaard CD 8.226025 (2005)
	Violin Sonatas Vol. 2 Rued Langgaard CD 8.226006 (2003)
	Symphonies 4-5 Rued Langgaard CD 8.224215 (2002)
	Violin Sonatas Vol. 1 Rued Langgaard CD 8.224153 (2002)
	Symphonies 9-11 Rued Langgaard CD 8.224182 (2001)
	Symphonies 6-8 Rued Langgaard CD 8.224180 (2001)
	Chamber Music Rued Langgaard CD 8.224139 (2000)
	String Quartets Rued Langgaard DCCD 9302a/b (1999)
	Sinfonia interna Rued Langgaard CD 8.224136 (1999)
	Organ Works Camillo Carlsen CD 8.224089 (1998)
	Songs Rued Langgaard CD 8.224011 (1994) Remarkable Lieder in Late Romantic style by the child prodigy Rued Langgaard
	Danish Golden Age Piano Trios Gade, Hartmann, Langgaard, Henriquies, Lange-Müller DCCD 9310 (1993)
	Romantic Danish Songs DCCD 9114 (1993)