Danish music

[semloh]

Thanks to Eric and britishcomposer for the uploads of works by Bentzon - a composer with whose name I was familiar but whose msuic I had never heard. The Sinfonia Buffo is a particularly charming piece.

[Dundonnell]

One just has to mention a composer on here and the probability is that someone can pop up with a recording of something by that composer

Many thanks for Bentzon's Sinfonia Buffo

More about Bentzon here:

http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/artist-j%C3%B8rgen-bentzon.aspx

[eschiss1]

the Bentzon I uploaded music by was Niels... ok, I think I understand

[jowcol]

Atsushi,

Thanks very much for the upload of the Tarp 2nd Symphony

I have wanted to hear more Tarp ever since acquiring the 7th Symphony on a Marco Polo/Dacapo-where it was coupled with the Piano Concerto and the Te Deum- many years ago now. The 2nd Symphony was on an old LP but this is obviously a different performance. I see that Tarp wrote ten symphonies

You may be in luck-- I've  just uploaded Tarp Symphonies 1,3 and 5 from Radio Broadcasts, courtesy of the collection of Karl Miller--

I found this description of Tarp on a website-- sorry for the lack of attribution.

Svend Erik Tarp (06/08/1908 - 19/10/1994), a Danish composer. He was among those Danish composers who were closer to French musical culture than to the dominant influence from Germany. In a string of sparkling, diverting works, not least the popular Piano Concerto in C major, he spoke up in the 1930s for a different modernist direction than the German-inspired one that dominated the new Danish music of the period. Tarp composed a total of ten symphonies. While maintaining a certain connection with Carl Nielsen, Tarp's music exhibits striking rhythms and linearity, but usually with a determination to appeal to the wider audience. In the late orchestral works the lines are longer and the seriousness greater than in the early, more chamber-music-like works. Tarp also wrote operas, piano music, didactic pieces and in particular much chamber music and film music. Svend Erik Tarp held a number of administrative posts in the musical world, and for many years this stole time from his creative activities. On the other hand he continued to compose at an advanced age, although because of his weakened sight he had to have practical assistance with his last symphony.

[Dundonnell]

There used to be a saying and probably still is that you could wait ages for a bus and finally when it arrived there were always two at once

On here you wait patiently(or in my case impatiently ) for the addition of something by composer X and finally when someone uploads some of X's music you get not one symphony, say, but three, four, five....

That happened with Eklund and now seems to be happening with Tarp and I am absolutely delighted

Many thanks, Jowcol.

[JollyRoger]

I think Knudage Riisager is an extremely creative composer not to be overlooked as one of the "great Danes". While his music is available on BIS, surely some concerts or tapes are available. An example of his gift is the Suite from the Qarrtsiluni ballet of 1939, an odd piece loosely described as a Primitive Nordic Bolero. So wear a thick coat and ear muffs for this one...its bitter cold and gets very loud.
You can hear listen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_IDs1eM5Z8&feature=related

[Dundonnell]

It is Dacapo rather than BIS that has recorded Riisager's music. BIS has done a great deal of Holmboe-for which I at least am very grateful

[eschiss1]

Me too, which probably comes as no surprise. Though Da Capo continues to do yeoman (yeocompany?) work for Holmboe also. (I should at least consider digitizing the tape I have, gift of a friend, of the LP of the 9th quartet - the first work by Holmboe to really convince me- well, the second; the Turnabout LP of the 8th quartet was probably the first. Both very good performances and recordings by, I think, the same group (the Turnabout was a US reissue from a Danish record label, of an incomplete series that encompassed many of the composer's quartets and a few other works of his. Hopefully it'll be reissued - on CD or whatever the new thing is... - sometime; the Kontra Quartet does well by them too, but - in my opinion- the later ones (6 and on?...- ) are very good quartets and deserve several recordings at least. No.15 with its funebre movement especially but not only... ))

[eschiss1]

Thanks!!!

[jowcol]

I've posted Symphony 5 by Danish Composer Hermann Koppel in the downloads section.



Details From Classics Online:
The first son of a Polish–Jewish immigrant, the Danish composer and pianist Herman Koppel was born in Copenhagen. He studied music there, and had encouragement from Carl Nielsen, whose piano music he performed. He spent time in Berlin and Paris and was active in chamber music with his brother Julius, a founder of the quartet that bore his name, and his violinist sister-in-law. During the German occupation Koppel took refuge in Sweden, returning home in 1945 to resume a distinguished and musically varied career.

Music
Koppel wrote one opera, Macbeth, choral works on biblical texts, songs, and a quantity of chamber music. His orchestral works include seven symphonies and a number of concertos for various instruments, including four piano concertos.

[eschiss1]

I'm guessing that Danacord will be releasing those Tuxen performances of the Koppel symphonies in their Herman D. Koppel: Composer and Pianist series at some point (as they have several of the piano concertos. Da Capo has released several symphonies and other works but in new performances. Anycase, until that point, thanks - interested to hear it as I'm curious about his muse. One reviewer for Fanfare described one of Koppel's piano concertos as among the best in that genre of the 20th century...)

[semloh]

There's a short but detailed piece about Herman Koppell at:

http://www.edition-s.dk/composer/herman-d-koppel

[jowcol]

There's a short but detailed piece about Herman Koppell at:

http://www.edition-s.dk/composer/herman-d-koppel

Thanks for sharing that.  I always like to know a little more about these Unsung Composers.  That site may come in handy in the future.

[Dundonnell]

Huge Thanks to shamokin for the upload of seven symphonies by Niels Viggo Bentzon.

Bentzon wrote a total of 24 numbered symphonies, together with a large number of other pieces which have the word Sinfonia or Sinfonietta in the title.
Only 5 of the numbered symphonies have been recorded on cd. We had another two on this site already. The addition of another 7 means that more than half of the Bentzon symphonies can now be accessed by members

[JollyRoger]

It is Dacapo rather than BIS that has recorded Riisager's music. BIS has done a great deal of Holmboe-for which I at least am very grateful

Ooops, Yes, thanks so much for for the correction..it is indeed DaCapo.