Future releases

Danish composer Thomas Agerfeldt Olesen brings together two of his major orchestral works of the 2010s, Der Wind bläset wo er will and his Cello Concerto, for his third release on Dacapo Records. Olesen's stunning music is about life and about being alive: each piece is a world unto itself. They are recorded here with cellist Johannes Moser and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Otto Tausk.

The award-winning Nightingale String Quartet begins a new exploration of one of the great unsung quartet cycles of the last century, that of Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996). The Danish composer’s quartets are captivating, bold works composed with spirit, poise and craft that can truly stand comparison with the greatest cycles of the twentieth century. Their variegated textures, exploratory tonality and rhythmic verve are realized with skill and beauty on this striking first instalment. 

Just before the world ground to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic, James Black found himself in receipt of a large working grant from the Danish Arts Foundation. He had the means to compose, and the lockdown would give him a motive for the specific project he set his mind to. This recording is what he produced – an album bound by restriction and that flirts with failure, but delivers powerfully on the fundamentals of art and expression.

This is a story about a struggle for power in old Denmark, and a magnificent opera about events which led to the murder of King Erik Clipping in 1286. To present this dramatic episode from Danish history, a power play rooted in love, jealousy and honour, Heise composed gripping music with a razor-sharp dramatic sense and great lyrical beauty. It is Danish romance at its most powerful and immediate.

The last stage on a long journey, here is the third and final instalment of a warmly received Langgaard cycle undertaken by violinist Gunvor Sihm and pianist Berit Johansen Tange. The present volume includes the violin sonatas nos. 2 and 3 – highly accomplished works with strong individual features – and two single-movement pieces composed by Langgaard the precocious teenager: the charming Aubade written on a summer holiday with his parents, and the dark-coloured Night Watchman’s Song.