The Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra is one of Sweden’s oldest, founded as early as 1912. Today it consists of 51 musicians and gives about 75 concerts a year in Helsingborg and around southern Sweden. Since 1988 the HSO has been on a number of tours abroad, visiting among other countries France, Germany, Austria, Poland, the USA and Spain with great success. In 1991 Okku Kamu took over the post as principal conductor after Hans-Peter Frank, and over the last few years the orchestra has experienced a strong growth in audiences. Over the years the HSO has made many recordings, the most recent of which, with Okku Kamu, have attracted international attention. In January 1995 the HSO’s recording of Britten’s piano concerto was named Editor’s Choice in the highly respected British periodical Gramophone - the first time for a Swedish orchestra. The recording of Franz Berwald’s symphonies was awarded a Diapason d’Or by the French music periodical Diapason, and for the CD Svenske klassiske favoritter (Swedish Classical Favourites) the orchestra has been awarded both a gold and a platinum record for more than 100,000 copies sold.
25/02/2011 Fanfare
01/11/2010 OPUS
29/09/2010 Los Angeles Times
17/06/2010 Audiophile Audition
01/06/2010 Audiophil
09/03/2010 Classics Today
01/02/2010 Gramophone
25/11/2009 Musicweb International
15/02/2002 Berlingske Tidende
15/02/2002
17/01/2002 Classics Today (10/10)
SACD 6.220584 (2010)
A sparkling SACD re-issue of Riisager's most colourful Neo-Classicist works
SACD 6.200002 (2009)
Denmark’s most international 19th-century composer steps out in all his romantic orchestral glory
SACD 6.220511 (2005)
Brilliant Romantic concertos for violin, cello and piano
CD 8.224173 (2002)
The frolicsome musical wizard Fini Henriques – a phenomenon from the turn of the last century
CD 8.554977 (2002)
CD 8.224161 (2001)
Winner of Danish Release of the Year (2002)! Two magnificent symphonies from the 1890s
CD 8.554967 (2000)
CD 8.224132 (2000)
Romantiske koncertstykker for soli, kor og orkester
CD 8.224088 (1998)
Romantic music in the grand style. Symphonie Majestueuse (no. 4) is dedicated to King Christian IX
CD 8.224076 (1997)
First recording of Symphonies 1 & 2 by the roving Asger Hamerik, a pupil of Berlioz pursuing a great career in the USA
CD 8.224082 (1997)
Riisager’s music has the same esprit as his French models, not least in his infectious ballet music from the 1930s