Symphony No. 1 in B Minor BVN 32 "Klippepastoraler" (Live)

Featuring

Sakari Oramo
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rued Langgaard

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Composition History

Rued Langgaard began composing his First Symphony, one of the most extensive symphonies ever composed in Scandinavia, at the age of 14.

Recording & Production

This album features the world premiere recording of the critical edition of Langgaard's Symphony No. 1, prepared by Bendt Viinholt Nielsen.

Critical Reception

Despite its initial success, Langgaard's First Symphony was only performed once more during his lifetime, in Copenhagen in 1928, and was not printed.

Composer Biography

Rued Langgaard, considered perhaps the greatest talent in Danish music, was a child prodigy who debuted as an organ improviser at age 11, impressing Edvard Grieg.

Compositional Technique

The symphony's orchestration is remarkably virtuosic for a self-taught teenage composer, featuring Wagner tubas, two harps, and a distanced brass orchestra.

Notable Performances

Langgaard's First Symphony had its world premiere in Berlin on April 10, 1913, performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker, after being rejected as unplayable in Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Langgaard's First Symphony, subtitled 'Cliffside Pastorals', is religiously symbolic, with the mountain ascent representing mankind's spiritual development and the sunrise a vision of Paradise.