RUED LANGGAARD
Symphonies 12-14
Danish National Choir / DR
Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DR
Thomas Dausgaard, conductor

Rued Langgaard, composer

About
Rued Langgaard (1893-1952) was an odd, lonely figure in Danish music. His 16 symphonies make up a thought-provoking, original contribution to the history of the symphony. The three symphonies on this CD were written during the years 1946-1948, although the tonal language is provocatively conservative. Symphony No. 12 is an absurd construction full of autobiographical references. In nos.13 and 14 Langgaard revitalizes romantic aesthetics in a simple, yet emphatically insistent manner.

Reviews
In short, if you've been collecting this excellent series then you need this disc. The performances are uniformly outstanding, beautifully played, and excitingly conducted by Thomas Dausgaard, and the sonics are terrific. (10/10 ClassicsToday.com - Read full review)

Thomas Dausgaard is working his way through an authoritative new Langgaard cycle with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Choir ... Mr. Dausgaard’s keen advocacy elicits polished, persuasive accounts that live up to Langgaard’s motto: “Long Live Beauty”.
(New York Times Read full review)

Fascinating and vulnerable music that still has the capacity to surprise and enchant. (Musicweb International)

Silky smooth and perfectly balanced.
(Records International)

The sound on this disc is superb and audiophiles will find these symphonies not only light up their systems, but their hearts as well.
(Classical Lost and Found)


Finally Dacapo is continuing their brilliant series with music by Rued Langgaard. The three symphonies on this CD were written in the end of the 1940s and here we meet a retrospective composer. Someone who uses the visionary ecstacy to the advantage of creating a romantic music with affectionate melodies and Strauss and Wagner as role models. No. 12 is only seven minutes long, but in spite of that it contains a line of wonderfull ideas. The other two have a duration of approximately thirty minutes and every tone is permeated with Langgaard´s genius. The melody is still as ambitious and the style superb. Dausgaard and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DR demonstrate once more their total comprehension of Langgaard. Excellent sound!
(Svenska Dagbladet)

Rued Langgaard...komponerede musik af en helt særlig original karakter og med sin egen indbyggede kraft... Thomas Dausgaard...dirigerer uden omsvøb og sentimentalitet. Til tider lyder det næsten, som om det er Niels W. Gade, der er på spil.
(***** Magasinet Klassisk)

Äntligen rullar Thomas Dausgaards Langgaard-symfonicykel vidare.... Och liksom i de tre tidigare utgåvorna firar tonsättaren nya triumfer genom den stilkänsla som dirigenten och de danska radiosymfonikerna besitter.
(Musik och Ljudteknik, Gunnar Lanzky-Otto)

Stor musik. Udførelsen er, så man tror, man drømmer. Det fornemste orkesterspil, fornem korsang i nr. 14, lidenskabelig, storslået og medrivende. Her er ingen vej udenom: Køb den! Nu!
(High Fidelity)

Sonics are rich and evidence a wide orchestral soundstage.
(Audiophile Edition)

Wie bei den bereits erschienenen Teilen des Langgaard-Projekts, kann auch diesmal das Orchester voll überzeugen.
(**** Klassik.com)

Ces partitions plaisantes et attachantes sont interprétées avec beaucoup de passion et de raffinement par Thomas Dausgaard, dont le travail est magnifié par une captation superbe.
(Classics Today France)

Den fremragende optagelse giver næring til overraskende oplevelser
(* * * * * Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten)

Credits
Recorded in the Danish Radio Concert Hall on 29 October 2004 (Symphony No. 12), 9-10 June 2006
(Symphony No. 14 and 15-16 June 2006 (Symphony No. 13).

Recording producer: Preben Iwan
Sound engineer: Jan Oldrup
Editing: Preben Iwan
Mastering: Preben Iwan and Jan Oldrup
Choir Master: Fredrik Malmberg
Artistic Director and General Manager, DNSO & Choirs / DR: Per Erik Veng

Graphic design: Elevator
Publisher: Edition Samfundet

Dacapo Records acknowledges, with gratitude, the financial support of Langgaard Fonden.

This SACD has been recorded in cooperation with the Danish Broadcasting Cooperation.