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Langgaard’s first – great success internationally

Langgaard’s first has had great success internationally – most recently in Madrid

by Bendt Viinholt Nielsen

Langgaard’s Symphony No. 1 took audiences by storm in Madrid at two performances on November 7 and 8 with the Spanish Radio Orchestra (RTVE), conducted by Thomas Dausgaard. It was his debut as first guest conductor here, and it was at his request that he put the monumental and demanding, and in Spain completely unknown, symphony on the program.

So what did they say about such a case? Apart from the fact that it was a resounding success at the concerts, three reviews appeared online. Here are some quote clips (in tentative translation from Spanish):

Michael Thallium, online magazine Scherzo (13.11.).

Outstanding interpretation of Langgaard’s ‘first'”“The first thing you wonder is why this Rued Langgaard symphony is not programmed more often. It’s fabulous!” – “Maestro Dausgaard transferred all the energy to the orchestra that Langgaard put into the work more than a hundred years ago. There was not a single movement where the performance fluctuated in quality: the first movement was simply spectacular […] It is technically difficult work, especially for the strings […]. The symphony is also a challenge for the conductor. Thomas Dausgaard conducted it from memory.

Javier Pérez in Platea Magazine (10.11.):

“The impact at the beginning of the symphony is enormous – with a huge orchestra and a unique intensity and tension. You are in awe of what a 17-year-old composer (yes, you read that right) can accomplish. […]
“It’s impressive to see how the conductor masters the very complex music […]. We must thank Dausgaard very much for programming this work and for achieving such an exemplary performance.

Arturo Reverter in Beckmesser (10.11.):

It is a well-crafted music by a great connoisseur of symphonic material. Several melodic themes abound from the beginning and are eventually worked through with a cyclical feel. A symphony that is, and this is not meant as a negative, […] cinematic in nature. Which could also be related to compatriot Nielsen and the Finnish Sibelius.”

This was Thomas Dausgaard’s 11th and 12th performance of the symphony in ‘recent times’. Many may remember the memorable presentation given by the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra under Dausgaard at the Rued Langgaard Festival in 1993. In 2022, Sakari Oramo performed the symphony in London with the BBC Symphony Orchestra before traveling to Berlin and performing the work with the Berliner Philharmoniker three times to an enthusiastic and overwhelmed audience. The following year, the symphony was taken up by the Cottbus Philharmonic Orchestra, who performed it twice.

The work has been recorded four times, including by Dausgaard on Dacapo in 2008, and most recently in 2022 by the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sakari Oramo on Dacapo 6.220644, a recording that was well received internationally.

We highly recommend watching the Korean Radio Orchestra’s performance of the symphony (2017), which is available in a great TV production on YouTube. They are really committed to the cause! The conductor, Jah-Bom Koo, like Dausgaard, manages to conduct the work without a score!