News

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January 2024

Double-album with 40 Langgaard-songs 
Duo Signe Asmussen Manuitt and Berit Johansen Tange who have performed and worked with Langgaard's songs for more than 20 years have now recorded 40 songs (14 world premiere recordings) on 2 CDs on their own label on the platform Gateway Musik (SB001-002).

November 2023

List of works updated
The Langgaard list of works on this site has been updated, so has the pdf document listing corrections and additions to the BVN catalogue of works. Furthermore, the the catalogue Rued Langgaard's Composituions (BVN) is now available for complete download (please note: 388 MB). Further information.

October 2023

New book (in Danish) about Rued Langgaard
Bendt Viinholt Nielsen has written a new introduction to Langgaard and his music in the publishing house Multivers's series "Danske Komponister". The book will be released on 10 October.
Read more on the publisher's homepage.

New song CD
On the 3 November Dacapo Records publishes a new album with songs by Rued Langgaard in the ínterpretation of soprano Louise McClelland and pianist Kristian Riisager, prize winners at the First Rued Langgaard Competition in 2021. More information on Dacapo's homepage.

May 2023

Third Langgaard Competition Prize Winners
The Third Langgaard Competition for young musicians was held in Copenhagen 29-30 April and had 15 participating ensembles and organists from the Danish Academies of Music. As in previous years, the artistic level was extremely high.
The prize winners were the violin/piano duo Marcelina Sztekmiler/Benjamin Skydsgaard (1st Prize 25,000 DKK), the lied duo Ian Marcus Bjørsvik/Kei Solvang (2nd Prize, 15,000 DKK), and the organ player Adrian Baguena (3rd Prize, 10,000 DKK). The 1st prize winning duo will be featured at the coming Rued Langgaard Festival in Ribe 2023.

April 2023

Two prominent Langgaard-fans have passed away
One of the most famous Langgaard fans, Dame Edna, passed away in April 2023, 89 years of age. In the mid-1995's she declared her great affinity with Langgaard in a letter to the people behind this homepage. 
See her greeting here.

We have also lost another well-known Langgaard admirer, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, former minister and MP, who died in 2022, 80 years of age. He always spoke warmly about Langgaard and in 2010, Langgaards 4th symphony was performed by Aalborg Symphony Orchestra at the request of Ellemann-Jansen.

February 2023

Langgaard's "Clifside Pastorals" ("Klipenpastorale") once again in Germany
On the 17 and 19 February, the Philharmonisches Orchester Cottbus under the direction of GDM Alexander Merzyn performs Langgaard's First Symphony in Staatstheater Cottbus. Further information on the orchestra homepage.

Three performances of Antichrist at Deutsche Oper this month
DO presents the expressive and colourful production of Antikrist three times in this season: 10 + 12 + 25 February.
More informatuion at the Deutsche Opers homepage.

November 2022

The Berlin Philharmonic recording of "Clifside Pastorals" out now
It was the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra which premiered Langgaard's first symphony in 1913 in Berlin, and in 2022 the orchestra re-performed the work three times in the philharmonic hall with Sakari Oramo conducting - with resounding succes! .
Now on 4th November Dacapo records releases the recording made during these performances. See the trailer here. More information: Dacapo's homepage.

September 2022

Japan-premiere: Langgaard's 4th symphony
On 20 September,The Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra performs Langgaard's fourth symphony conducted by Thomas Dausgaard. It is the first professional orchestra performance of a Langgaard work in Japan (in 2017 an amateur orchestra performed his 11th symphony).

Berit Johansen Tange's fourth piano-cd
Volume 4 of Berit Tange's recording of Langgaard's piano music is now released by Dacapo Records (6.220662). It comprises Sonata no. 2 and a.o. things also the premiere recordings of two minor pieces, Scherzo (1925) and Expression (1930-32/1939).

Rued Langgaard's Bechstein-grand is back in Ribe
After more than 50 years of private ownership, Langgaard's grand piano which he played at all of his life is back in Ribe. The new owner is the City Museum of Ribe. The instrument is now at the Old Town Hall and it was demonstrated at seeveral mini concerts during the Langgaard Festival 2022.

Maj 2022

Winners of the Langgaard Competition 2022
The second RL Competition was held in Copenhagen 7-8 Maj. First prize (25,000 DKK) (including a concert during the Langgaard Festival 2022 in September) was awarded the lied duo Laura Hilden/Ruben Høgh, the second prize of 15,000 DKK was awarded to  the lied duo Katrin Helena Kuslap/Hazel Friedmann, and the lied duo Niklas de Fries/Cecilia Apostolo received the third prize (10, 000 DKK); all prize winners were students from teh Royal Academy of Msuic in Copenhagen. 
Read more about the competition at the Rued Langgaard Festival homepage.

Langgaard Festival 2022 in Ribe, 1-4 September
Under the headline Infinity, the featival will present a great number of concerts with music by Langgaard, Per Nørgård (90 this Summer) and Else-Marie Pade, a pioner of electronic music in Denmark.
See the programme at the festival's homepage.

Rued Langgaard in Berlin 16-19 June
In coennction with the three performances of Langgaard's First Symphony performed by Berlin Phiharmonic/Sakari Oramo, a supplementary concert program is arranged including four concerts and an exhibition of e.g. the original autograph manuscript for the symphony which today is held in Berlin at Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung (SIMPK). SIMPK is organizing the programme for theese events.

Langgaard's First Symphony performed by BBC SO/Sakari Oramo 8 April
The symphony was scheduled for performance by Oramo and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic in January but it was cancelled because of the Corona pandemia. Instead, Omramo placed the symphony on his BBC SO programme of 8 April. 
A review can be read here.

December 2021

Langgaard's collected string quartets publiced in one volume
Langgaard wrote 9 string quartets and to minor pieces for quartet. All 11 compositions are being published by the Rued Langgaard Edition in one volume comprising more than 400 pages. Further information at the Langgaard Edition page.

Young pianists - Piekut and Bouzine - record Langgaard
The great Danish talent Gustav Piekut has released a CD on Naxos with the title Towards the Flame including works by Skrjabin and Langgaard. By the last mentioned it is Sponsa Christi, taedium vita, Music of the Abyss and The Chambers of Flames. Further information at Naxos' homepage.

The Russian pianist Mikhaïl Bouzine, who was the winner of the Concour d'Orleans 2021, has included Langgaard's Le Béguinage on his very first CD with the title L'oiseau rebelle. The CD is published by Concour d'Orleans. Click here for further information.

September 2021

Austrian book about Langgaard presented at the Langgaard Festival
Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna has in 2021 published Rued Langgaard Perspektiven in their series Musikkontext. Editor of the volume is Juri Gianini. The book (210 pp.) contents 10 articles of which five are from Denmark, however, translated into German. This is the first non-Danish book entirely devoted to Langgaard. The book was officially presented at the Langgaard Festival in Ribe. (Hollitzer Verlag, Wien, ISBN 978-3-99012-597-7 / ISSN 1616-5209).

August 2021

Langgaard's first Symphony to be performed again by Berliner Philharmoniker after 109 years!
Berliner Philharmoniker has scheduled Langgaard's Symphony No. 1 for three performances on 16, 17 and 18 June 2022 with Sakari Oramo conducting. Berlin Philharmoniker premiered the work in 1913. Se more at the Berliner Philharmoniker homepage.

Antichrist in Berlin premiere 31 January 2022
After having been postponed for nearly two years, the premiere of Deutsche Opers new production of Antikrist will take place on 30 January 2022. It will be a spectacular production with dancers and a large chorus. Read more at the Deutsche Oper homepage.

Langgaard Festival in Ribe 2-6 Sep. 2021
The festival theme this years is "Vienna 1900" with focus on Zemlinsky and Alma Mahler - apart from Langgaard. See the programme at the Festival homepage.

New CD comprising chamber works
Signe Asmuussen, soprano, and Esbjerg Ensemble have recorded Langgaard's works for wind ensemble and for soprano and string quartet on Dacapo 8.226158. As a bonus track you will get Allan Graugaard Madsen's arrangement for ensemble of Music of the Abyss. Look it up at the Dacapo homepage.

Langgaard's collected works for violin and piano
Langgaard wrote 11 works for violin and piano (organ) between 1906 and 1950. All works are included in The Rued Langgaard Edition's most recent publication comprising a score (piano part) and a seperate volume with all violin parts for the works.The edition was released in June. More information on the Rued Langgaard Edition page.

April 2021

The winners of the Rued Langgaard Competition 2021
The competition had 16 participating soloists and ensembles, a total of 30 musicians from the three Danish academies of music. The artistic level was exetremely high, and many convincing interpretations of Langgaard's music were heard during the two days of the competition.
The winners were: First prize (divided): The Absalon Quartet and lied duo Louise McClelland Jacobsen/Kristian Riisager (a DKK 20,000), second prize was not awarded, the third prize (DKK 10,000) went to duo Kaya Kato Møller (violin) and Mads Fuglsang Ryborg (piano). The two first prize winners will be presented at the opening concert of the Rued Langgaard Festival 2021.
See all participants at the Langgaard Festival Facebook Page.

March 2021

Spectacular TV-production of Langgaard's First (2017)
Don't miss this engaged performance from Seoul!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MatX5qo9V74

Volume 3 of the complete violin-piano-series out now
The third and last album in Gunvor Sihm and Berit Johansen Tanges complete recording of Langgaard's violin/piano works was released on the Dacapo label on 26 February. The album includes sonatas no. 2 and 3 and two minor pieces. See the Dacapo homeage for further information.

First Langgaard Competition to be held 24-25 April
The Langgaard Foundation has taken the initiative to arrange a series of masterclasses at the academies of music and a comcluding competition for violinists, singers, pianists and string quartets with a prize for the best Langgaard performance. The masterclasses are lead by Berit Johansen Tange, Gunvor Sihm and Signe Asmussen. Read more (in Danish) at the Langgaard Festival homepage.

More corona-cancellations of Antichrist
Unfortunately, two concert performances of Antichrist had to be cancelled due to the corona situation, one in Glasgow and one in Copenhagen (Janauary). In both cases Thomas Dausgaard should have been on the podium.

August 2020

Corona-cancellation
Due to the pandemic Covid-19, the planned production of Antikrist at Deutsche Opera in March was postponed, and hopefully the premiere will take place in the autumn season 2021.
But the Festival in Ribe is proceeding as planned, taking into account the health professional's recommendations.

Langgaard-festival under the headline "Fire (Skrjabin and Langgaard)" 3-6 September 2020 in Ribe
The 2020 festival has Skrjabin as the 'guest composer' of the year, and among the spectacular highlights of the festival is a mega-performance in Ribe Cathedral comprising Prometeus and Antikrist. The Nightingale String Quartet will perform all of Langgaard's strring quartets in 3 concerts. Further information at the festival website.

December 2019

Antichrist Prelude in its original version on CD
In front of Sattle Symphony Thomas Dausgaard has recorded the original version of the Preludue to "Antichrist" (1921-23, rev. 1926) for the first time. On the same CD there is Strauss' "An Alpine Symphony". (Seattle Symphony Media SSM 1023).

October 2019

The Wiener Philharmoniker Rued Langgaard-CD wins Gramophone Award 2019
The British Music Magazine Gramophone has just awarded this year's prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Award in the cathagoty "Orchestral musik" to Vienna Philharmonic's recording of Langgaard's Second andd Sixth Symphony (Dacapo). Read more at the Dacapos homepage and the Gramophone homepage.

New volume of organ works published
The Rued Langgaard Edition has published Rued Langgaard: Organ Works 1907-1949 (Edition Wilhelm Hansen). The volume includes seven organ works for concert use, and four pieces for organ and brass instruments. The works have been editied by Ulrik Spang-Hanssen, Birgitte Ebert and Bendt Viinholt Nielsen. More information about the publication here.

June 2019

Antichrist at Deutsche Oper 2020!
The succes of the production at Staatstheater Mainz in 2018 has inspired Deutsche Oper in Berlin to produce Antichrist in 2020 with premiere 21 March. A very young team will be behind this new production. Read more at Deutsche Oper's website.

Langgaard-festival under the headline "Nature" 5-8 September 2019 in Ribe
The 2019 festival has Grieg as the 'guest composer' of the year, and among the spectacular highlights of the festival is a mega-Langgaard-concert on 6 September in Ribe Cathedral comprising performances of Sea and Sun, The Dream, and The Music of the Spheres. Further information at the festival website.

New recording of Langgaard's violin concerto
Violinist Linus Roth has recorded Langgaard's short and charming violin concerto from 1943-44 on the Hyperion label in the series The Romantic Violin Concerto (vol. 22). BBC Scottish SO is conducted by Anthony Hermus (Hyperion CDA68268).

Did you try the Langgaard-porter?
During the Langgaard Festival 2018 Ribe Bryghus (Brewhouse) launched a new "Rued Langgaard Porter" as a celebration of the composer's 125th anniversary. It is evident that Langgaard was especially fond of porters! Unfortunately you will have to travel to Ribe to taste the beer, but you may read about (in Danish) in the local paper Ugeavisen Ribe.

January-February 2019

The new CDs published in the autumn has been extremely well received
The Vienna Philharmonic recording on Dacapo of Symphonies No. 2 and 6 and Unnoticed Morning Stars (with soprano Anu Komsi and conducted by Sakari Oramo)got very fine reviews, in Denmark and internationally. The 15 February 2019 the CD was awarded the prestigious Danish Radio P2 Music Prize 'Classical album of the Year 2019'. 
Read more on the Dacapo homepage.

In the autumn Gunvor Sihm and Berit Johansen Tange released their second album in the series comprising all of Langgaard's works for violin and piano. The album includes one of Langgaard's really absurd compositions, the so-called Sunday Sonata, which is here recorded for the first time. 
Read more at Dacapo's homepage.

July 2018

Rued Langgaard's 125th anniversay (July 28) to be celebrated on 19th August!
The Rued Langgaard Foundation invites to a festive concert at The Royal Danish Academy of Music (The Studiescenen) on Sunday the 19th August 2018. Free entrance.

Collected piano works vols. 1-3 and The Music of the Spheres published by the Rued Langgaard Edition
Further information about these publications and download of prefaces and revision reports at the Rued Langgaard Edition page.

The Music of the Spheres to be performed in Glasgow
The next performance of The Music of the Spheres will be on 27 September 2018 in Glasgow Cathedral with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Thomas Dausgaard.

The Vienna Philharmonic cd will be released in October
The recording of Langgaard's symphony no. 2 and 6 on Dacapo will be released in October. See condoctor Sakari Oramo's introduction on youtube.

June 2018

Great succes for Antichrist in Mainz! - "Entdeckung des Jahres!" - 4 more performances in October/November 2018
The German premiere of the opera too place at Staatstheater Mainz on the 4th June 2018 under conductor Hermann Bäumer and in Anselm Dalferth's staging. The premiere was received with ovations and was followed by very positive reviews a. o. in Algemeine Zeitung (Mainz), and Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung, klassiskinfo.de as well as online Merker. The opera will be performed again on October 6, 15, and  25, and November 11, 2018.
Enjoy the trailer here.

January 2018

Rued Langgaard 125th anniversary 2018!
Among the spectacular events in 2018 one could mention::
Vienna Philharmonic and Sakari Oramo perform Symphony no. 6 on the 14 and 15 April in Wiener Konzerthaus (also CD recording).
Antichrist will be staged at Staatstheater Mainz - 4 performances in June.
Publication of Langgard' collected piano works (The Rued Langgaard Edition).
Publication of the score for Music of the Spheres (100 years after its completion).
Langgaard-Festival in Ribe from 30 September to 2 October.

September 2017

Complete works for violin and piano Vol. 1
The first CD /of three) in Gunvor Sihm's and Berit Johansen Tange's recording of all of Langgaards works for violin and piano was released in Copenhagen on 19 September. This CD  includes the premiere recording of Langgaard's unfinished Sonata from 1909-11 (2 movements). Vol. 2 will appear in the autumn of 2018. Read more: Dacapo 8.886130.

July 2017

113 minor organ pieces now available in print!
The project of publishing all of Langgaard's minor organ pieces was begun in 2010 and has now come to an end with the publication of three volumes edited by Ribe Cathedral organist Birgitte Ebert og the Rued Langgaard Edition editor-in-chief, Bendt Viinholt Nielsen. 97 of the compositions are published for the first time. The Rued Langgaard Edition is published by Edition Wilhelm Hansen - see more here.

Rued Langgaard-festival in Ribe 31 August to 3 September
The headline is "Romanticism", and the second 'main name' this years is Niels W. Gade in the 200 anniversary yers of his birth. Read more at the festival homepage.

April 2017

Berit Johansen Tange's third Langgaard-CD released
The new CD launched on the 2nd of April comprises three world premiere recordings: As at Thief in the Night (BVN 211a), Chiesa madre (BVN 367), and Sponsa Christi tædium vitæ (BVN 297). The CD is published by Dacapo (6.220631). Read more on Dacapo's homepage.

Symphony No. 1 in South Korea
On the 27 April the Korean Symphony Orchestra performs Langgaard's great first symphony in Seoul Arts Center. Conductor is Jahbom Koo.

November 2016

Langgaard in Luxenburg, Stockholm, Göteborg, Glasgow, Vienna and Edmonton (Canada)

Symphony No. 5 (1st version)
3 December 2016. Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, conductor: Ilan Volkov.
Symphony No. 2 
16 February 2017. Kungliga Filharmonikerna, Stockholm, conductor: Sakari Oramo: soloist: Anu Komsi.
17 February 2017. Guest performance in Göteborg.
Prelude to "Antichrist" + Symphony No. 4
19 March 2017. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Thomas Dausgaard.
Symphony No. 6
23 March 2017. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Thomas Dausgaard.
Symphony nr. 2
22. april 2017. Wiener Philharmoniker, dirigent: Sakari Oramo; solist Anu Komsi
Symphony No. 4
12 May 2017. Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Alexander Prior.

June 2016

Messis 1-3 in Germany for the first time
On 26 June the first complete performance in Germany of Messis takes place in St Paul's Church in Nuremberg. Marcel Rode perform the work on the church's unique organ of late Romanticism from 1913.

Maj 2016

Rued Langgaard's Collected Songs Vol. 1-3 available in print
The Rued Langgaard Edition/Edition Wilhelm Hansen has published all of Langgaard's vorks for solo voice and piano in three volumes. There are 134 songs to Danish, German and Norwegian texts, and no less than 107 of theses song are published for the first time. Read more at the Edition Wilhelnm Hansen homepage.

Sfærernes Musik to be performed twice in Germany in 2016/17
On 7th September 2016 the work is being performed in the Berlinerphilharmonie during the Berliner Festspiele (Musikfest Berlin) by the Deutsche Oper orchestra and chorus under Danald Runnicles. Read more at the Berliner Festspiele homepage.

On 17th June 2017 the work will be peformed in Stuttgart. Lini Gong, soprano, SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart and the SWR Symphonieorchester will be conducted by Alejo Pérez. Read more at the SWR homepage.

Rued Langgaard Festival 1.-4. september i Ribe
The headline for this year's festival is "Langgaard and Ligeti", and the festival of course includes a performance of The Music of the Spheres in the Ribe Cathedral. See the complete programme at the festival homepage

August 2015

Rued Langgaard Festival 3-6 September in Ribe
In the Carl Nielsen 150 years anniversary there will be a great battle between the two composers at the festival in Ribe. Two performances of Antichrist will be surrounded by a number of confrontations between CN and RL-works. Check the program at the festival homepage.

November 2014

New book about Langgaard by Esben Tange
Mod lyset. Rued Langgaard, musikken og symbolismen (Against Light. Rued Langgaard, Music and Symbolism) is the title of a new book by Esben Tange, editor and concert host at DR P2 and artistically responsible for the Rued Langgaard Festival in Ribe. The book is published by Taarnborg, Ribe. Beautifully illustrated with art photos, the book describes the parallels between Langgaard's musical universe and trends in contemporary art e.g. symbolism, represented by artists such as J.F. Willumsen, Rudolph Tegner, Julius Paulsen a.o. The book includes a 'listener's guide' to Langgaard's symphony no. 1, 10, 12, and 16.

October 2014

New publisher of Rued Langgaard's music and The Rued Langgaard Edition
From 1st of October 2014 Langgaard's music and The Rued Langgaard Edition will be published and distributed by Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Copenhagen. At the same time a three year project will be initiated in order to make a critical edition of Rued Langgaard's many unpublished piano and organ works (within the framework of the The Rued Langgaard Edition).

September 2014

Nightingale String Quartet releases vol. 3 og receives prestigious award in London
The 17th September will be a memorable day for the Nightingale String Quartet. The third volume in the complete recording of all Langgaard's 9 string quartetts will be released (String Quartet No. 1 and 5), and the four young musicians will receive the prestigious award "Young Artist of the Year" at the Gramophone magazine's prize ceremony in London.
Read more at the Gramophone website.
Se allso the trailer from Dacapo.

July 2014

Rued Langgaard Festival in Ribe 4-7 September
This year the festival focuses on Richard Strauss (150 years) and Langgaard. For the extensive and detailed programme see the festival website.

March 2014

First novel about Langgaard sees light
Bodil Steensen-Leth's Når solen er begravet (When the Sun is Buried) is the first novel ever about Langgaard. The author presents a free interpretation of episodes in Langgaard's life from childhood to death.

February 2014

Langgaard and the music of love
Andrew Mellor, editor of Gramophone, has published an interesting feature about the three string quartets on Nightingale String Quartet's volume 2 in the web edition of the magazine. Read the article on Gramophone's homepage.

December 2013

Nightingale releases vol. 2 in the Langgaard String Quartet series
On the 2 December the Nightingale String Quartet launches CD no. 2 (of a total of 3) with the complete string quartets by Langgaard. The CD includes Rosen Garden Play (world premiere recording), String Quartett in A flat major, and String Quartet No. 4. Read more at the Dacapo homepage.

September 2013

Langgaard Festival in Ribe with splendid experiences
This year's festival featured the first performance in 20 years of Langgaard's first symphony in Ribe Cathedral under Thomas Dausgaard. A new small book about Langgaar'd time in Ribe was released (Bendt Viinholt Nielsen: Langgaard versus Laub, in Danish). Follow the Langgaard Festival on Facebook.

August 2013

Langgaard Festival in Ribe 5-8 September 2013 - Langgaard & Wagner
This year's festival features the 5th performance of Langgaard's first symphony in Ribe Cathedral. Read more at the festival homepage.

January 2013

Nightingale String Quartet awarded DR prize
On the 19th January the string quartet was awarded the prestigeous Danish Radio P2 prize for "Best CD of the Year" (2012). At the same time the CD is nominated for the BBC Music Magazine Awards. Read more at dacapo's homepage.

October 2012

New version of Langgaard biography
The only biography on Langgaard ever written is now, 19 years after the publication of the original verion, being reissued in a revised and enlarged version. The book is available in Danish only, written by Bendt Viinholt Nielsen and published by the music publishers Engstrøm & Sødrings Musikforlag. It is available from the publishers or varoius internet book dealers.

July 2012

10th July - Langgaard died 60 years ago
In the June issue of Gramophone editor Andrew Mellor features Langgaard and this article has now been supplied, in the internet-version of the magazine with links to recordings from the Dacapo label. Read and listen - here.

Third Langgaard Festival in Ribe opens 30 August 2012
The theme of this year is Langgaard and Debussy (celebrating the 150 years of the latter's birth). Friday night's concert with Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester features an extensive programme with a.o. RLs 10th symphony and Debussy's Nocturnes. See the complete programme at the festival homepage.

"Ixion" at the Proms on RL's birthday!
Conductor Thomas Dausgaard has choosen Langgaard's odd 11th symphony for his Proms concert in Royal Albert Hall on the 28th of July, which, by coincidence, exactly is the composer's 119 years anniversary. It is BBC symphony Orchestra which performs the just 5½ minute long work for the first time in GB. Read more here.

Nightingale String Quartets first Langgaard-cd has been extraordinarily well received
The Quartet's very first cd was released this spring on the Dacapo label, and was enthuastically received in Denmark, England, USA og Germany. Both the quality of the works, the young musicians' interpretation of the shifting moods in RL's music, and the technical quality of the sound recording are praised. Read more at the Dacapo homepage.

November 2011

Rued Langgaard Festival 2011
The second edition of the newly established Rued Langgaard Festival was held in Ribe in the beginning of September with focus on the works of Langgaard and Liszt. Next year's festival will concentrate on works by Debussy - and Rued Langgaard of course.
Please check the website of the festival.

 July 2010

The Music of the Spheres - UK premiere, new recording
On 11 August 2010 Thomas Dausgaard conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra at this year's Proms in Royal Albert Hall giving the UK premiere of Music of the Spheres (1916-18). A new recording of the work with the same forces is to be released by the national Danish label Dacapo on the same date. Read more about the event at
Naxos Classical News (31st July 2010) and the BBC Proms homepage.

Antichrist on blu-ray disc
The much acclaimed dvd production of Antichrist has been re-released on blu-ray by Dacapo. More information on the label's homepage.

July 2009

Antichrist in print
In June the first printed edition of Langgaard's opera saw light. The two large volumes - Score and Commentary - are edited and written by Bendt Viinholt Nielsen. The prestigeous publication has been sponsered by the Lundbeck Foundation. The edition is available from the publisher Edition Samfundet

New recordings
Within the last half a year Dacapo has released a number of Langgaard CDs. Dausgaard's symphony cycle was finally concluded with symphony no. 1 and a CD including no. 15 and 16 and some minor orchestral works of which three are first recordings. In January all 7 CDs were released as SACD versions in a nice box. Read the interview with Thomas Dausgaard after finishing the 10-year long project.
Flemming Dreisig recently made his second interpretation of the complete Messis on the grand organ in the Copenhagen Cathedral. The two SACDs also include In tenebras exteriores, a sister work to part 3 of Messis.
Concert master of the National Symphony Orchestra DR Christina Åstrand has in Tampere, Finland recorded three romantic Danish violin concertos by Gade, Lange-Müller, and Langgaard. Conductor is John Storgårds.
Finally it should be mentioned that the CD Rose Garden Songs with Ars Nova/Támas Vetö recently has bee re-released as SACD.
See more at the Dacapo homepage and check the discograpy under langgaard.dk, which has now been updated with all these new recordings.

June 2009

The Rued Langgaard Society - new website
The society was founded in 2007 and has during the past two years been very active organizing concerts, etc. Read about the society (in Danish) at the homepage. The society plan a Langgaard Festival in Ribe 2010 among other things.

Langgaard on YouTube
Check two interesting videos: John Damgaard plays Free Piano Sonata, and see what the Antichrist Prologue and part of First Scene was like when it was premiered in Innsbruck in 1999.

Maj 2008

Messis i Russia for the first time
The Russian organist Mikhail Mishchenko has recently performed the complete Messis for the fist time in Russia. The performances took place in Sanct Petersburg, and 1st Evening was premiered on 8 Dec. 2007, 2nd Evening on 19 Jan. 2008 and 3rd Evening on 26 April. See the homepage of the organist.

Listen to a Langgaard concert programme on the Internet
A concert presented by the Langgaard Society on 31 March 2008 in Copenhagen can be downloaded and played on Danmarks Radio's homepage DR P2 (in Danish).

Symphony No. 5 in Iceland
A Langgaard work will be presented for the first time in Iceland when Iceland Symphony Orchestra performs Symphony No. 5 (1st version) on the 13 September 2007 in Reykjavik, conducted by Petri Sakari.

Symphony 12-14: Disc of the month in Classics Today
Read more on ClassicsToday.com.

May 2007

A Danish Langgaard Society founded
On the 28th of March the "Langgaard-Selskabet i Danmark" (The Danish Langgaard Society) was founded in Copenhagen. You can read more about the bylaws, board, etc. on this website (in Danish only).

It is now possible to hear Symphony No. 2 in its original version of 1912-14.
Thomas Dausgaard's recording of Symphony Nos. 2 and 3 have just been relased on CD/SACD on the Dacapo label. Symphony No. 2 is recorded here for the first time in its long original version (38 minutes). Inger Dam-Jensen is singing the vocal part. The recording of Symphony No. 3 (with Per Salo as the piano soloist) has a new feature too as a short choral part in the end of the work has been included for the first time since the world premiere in 1918.

November 2006

Symphony Nos. 12-14 in Dausgaard's interpretation
This summer the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra with Thomas Dausgaard produced Langgaard's Symphony 2, 3, 13, 14 and 15, and the first set of these works is now relased on a super-audio-CD including No. 12 (which was previously produced) combined with Nos. 13 and 14. Read more on the Dacapo homepage.

Antichrist News
The very succesful DVD-production has now been published also on super-audio-CD (same forces). Read more on the Dacapo homepage (use the search field). The CD may be ordered from the company's web-shop.
The opera was included in Denmark's Cultural Canon, please check the special website published by the Ministry of Culture Denmark's Cultural Canon.
Thanks to a large donation from the Lundbeckfonden (Lundbeck Foundation) the opera is now being published for the first time. It will be a critical edition in the series called the Rued Langgaard Edition published by Edition Samfundet. The published full score is expected in 2008.

May 2005

Antichrist on DVD
The DVD production witnesses the spectacular Danish co-production by the Royal Danish Opera and the Danish Broadcasting Corporation from 2002 conducted by Thomas Dausgaard. The opera is sung in Danish with subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish (and Danish). Bonus material include Commentary Track, the story of the creation of the opera and "Langgaard live".
Read more about the DVD and about availability on Dacapo's website.

November 2004

New CDs
Two major piano works recorded for the first time
Pianist Berit Johansen Tange has recorded a Langgaard CD including a complete first recording of Gitanjali Hymns (efter Tagore), 10 piano pieces composed in 1918. The CD also comprises the first recording of Fantasy Sonata in the original version of 1916, a work with strong references to Schumann. Langgaard re-used some of the piece 30 years later in the first movement of his Insanity Fantasy which is also found on the CD together with a couple of small piano pieces. (Langgaard: Piano Works. Dacapo 8.226025). Read the review on Classical Music Web.

Violin and piano works complete
Seguei Azizian and Anne Øland have completed their two CD-recording of Langgaard's complete violin/piano-music on Dacapo. Vol. 2 (Dacapo 8.226006) including the late works was released in October. Vol. 1 comprising the sonatas nos. 1 and 2 were well received - please read the review of Violin Sonatas Vol. 1.

Langgaard cycle with Dausgaard
Dacapo has so far released three volumes in the new cycle of Langgaard symphonies with DRNSO and Thomas Dausgaard. The three CDs include symphonies nos. 6-11. The CDs were very well received internationally - read for instance the reviews on Classical Music Web: Symphony nos. 4-5 - Symphony nos. 6-8 - Symphony nos. 9-11. For detailed bibliographical information information see discography .

Critical edition of Langgaard's works
A grant from the Carlsberg Foundation and support from the Langgaard Foundation and other Danish foundations have made it possible to establish a Rued Langgaard Edition, a series of critical first editions of Langgaard's works. The editions are available from Samfundet (The Society for the Publication of Danish Music). A number of chamber works, organ works and orchestral works have been edited and can be delivered on demand for performance or study use (none of the editions is yet in print in the traditional sense). A list of the new editions is available in Danish. Critical commentaries and prefaces may also be found here (in Danish).

Messis published!
After several years of editorial work the organ player Flemming Friis now has published Messis, Organ Drama in Three Evenings, on Edition Wilhelm Hansen (3 volumes: WH 30493-5; ISBN 87 598 1056 4 + 1058 4 + 1060 4).

New features on langgaard.dk
The following documentary material have recentlig been published on this website (PDF-files):
The correspondance bethween Langgaard and conductor Launy Grøndahl(in Danish!).
Live performances of Langgaard's orchestral works (in Danish).
Please also keep an eye on the regularly updated list of corrections and additions to the Langgaard catalogue of works.

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