Rued Langgaard

Rued Langgaard ( born July 28, 1893 in Copenhagen, Denmark, † July 10, 1952 in Ribe ) was a Danish composer and organist.

Life

Langgaard grew up in a musical family, the parents were both pianists. He received early a comprehensive musical education and was already with 11 years as an excellent organist.

1913 his first one-hour symphony " Klippepastoraler " (Rock Pastorale ) was premiered by the Berlin Philharmonic. His 11th and 12th symphony, however, only take a few minutes - symphonic miniatures. Despite some early successes, his life was rather drawn by seclusion and lack of recognition. This has several reasons. On the one hand there was the shadow of Carl Nielsen, the great Danish composer. As Nielsen struck a more clear, classical modern way Langgaard reveled in symbolist and romantic works and spoke of " divine inspiration ".

His work is marked by ecstatic sensations and excessive emotions, but also by a genial applied craft and spontaneously cross- thinking creativity that has brought about almost avant-garde works such as the music of the spheres ( 1916-1918 ). Langgaard crossed crisscross the styles of music history between Expressionism, romantic sentiment and first Minimalismusexperimenten. Companion remember an eccentric, sensitive musician, introverted and harassed by the world, but with great seriousness and visions. It was not until 47 years Langgaard received an organist in the cathedral at Ribe, eleven years later, he died in Ribe.

His estate, over 400 compositions, fell into oblivion. Only in the late sixties, he was rediscovered by a musicologist and performer. Even György Ligeti was inspired by compositions of Langgaard. Nowadays, with various labels are above all of his symphonies recordings before. Concerts in the German area are very rare.

Importance

Langgaard is one of the composers who have yet to discover. Even in the Danish music history, he is a loner, fits stylistically in any template. With his extensive oeuvre but he is one of the most important Scandinavian composers of the early 20th century.

Work

The extensive work can be here represent only an overview. Langgaard wrote the opera " Antikrist ", 16 symphonies, seven string quartets, chamber music, a large number of organ and piano works, as well as vocal music with orchestra and piano, most important works in this case the music of the spheres for soprano, choir, orchestra and Remote Orchestra ( 1916-1918 ) and Lenaustemninger ( BVN 138 ) for soprano and string quartet (1917 ). The list of his works was written by the Danish musicologist Bendt Nielsen Viinholt in his work Rued Langgaard Kompositioner. The appropriate abbreviation is BVN.

Symphonies

• With piano solo and acc. Choir ad libitum

• With acc. choir

• With acc. choir

• With baritone solo and male chorus

Other orchestral works

• Music of the Spheres (1916-1918)

Operas

• Antikrist ( Allegorical Opera ) ( 1921-23 )
• Fortabelsen ( Antikrist ) ( 1921-1923/1926-1930 ) [ 2 Version of the opera Antikrist ]
• Vildstjernelys ( Opera in one image ) ( 1921-1923/1946 )