Emil Reesen (30 May 1887 – 27 March 1964) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, conductor and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. Aside from composing for

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

s and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s he was also a noted

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

composer. He is remembered mainly for his

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

''Farinelli'' (1942), which is still popular today.

Life

Emil Reesen studied with private tutors such as the composer Vilhelm Rosenberg and the pianist Siegfried Langgaard (a pupil of

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

). He made his debut as a concert pianist in 1911 and was employed as a conductor for the

Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Danish: ''DR Symfoniorkestret''; English abbreviation "DNSO"), is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The DNSO is the principal orchestra of DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation). The DRSO is based at th ...

in 1927. In 1931 he also began working as a ballet conductor at the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first ser ...

. Later in his life he conducted the

Vienna Symphony The Vienna Symphony (Vienna Symphony Orchestra, german: Wiener Symphoniker) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna. Its primary concert venue is the Konzerthaus, Vienna, Vienna Konzerthaus. In Vienna, the orchestra also performs at the Musikv ...

and recorded with the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

. Emil Reesen was the father of the composer Morten Reesen (1928–1961) and the great-uncle of the composer

Frederik Magle Frederik Reesen Magle (; born 17 April 1977) is a Danish composer, concert organist, and pianist. He writes contemporary classical music as well as fusion of classical music and other genres. His compositions include orchestral works, cantatas, ...

(his sister's grandson).Frederik Magle biography
(magle.dk)

Notable works

* 1926 Rapsodien Himmerland * 1928 Variationer over et tema af Schubert * 1931 Gaucho, ballet * 1933 Gudindernes Strid, ballet * 1934 Zaporogerne, ballet * 1941 Trianon. Suite i gammel stil * 1941 Historien om en Moder, opera ( Det kgl. Teater) * 1942

Farinelli Farinelli (; 24 January 1705 – 16 September 1782) was the stage name of Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi (), a celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera. Farinelli h ...

, operetta (text: Mogens Dam) * 1948 Gadeprinsessen, operette * 1950 Video, fjernsynsballet * 1924 Lille Lise Let-på-Tå (Scalarevyen "Regnbuen") * 1925 Adrienne med sin luftantenne (Scalarevyen) * 1925 Roselille men uden mor (Scalarevyen) * 1925 Vil du sænke dit øje (Scalarevyen) * 1941 Et Flag er smukkest i Modvind (Poul Sørensen) * 1944 To som elsker hinanden ( Viggo Stuckenberg) * 1948 Vuggevise (Mogens Kaarøe)

Film music

* 1922

Häxan ''Häxan'' (, "The Witch"; Danish: ''Heksen''; English: ''The Witches''; released in the US in 1968 as ''Witchcraft Through the Ages'') is a 1922 silent film, silent horror film, horror essay film written and directed by Benjamin Christensen. C ...

* 1937 Flådens blå matroser * 1937 Plat eller krone * 1940 En desertør * 1941 Niels Pind og hans dreng * 1941 En forbryder * 1943 Kriminalassistent Bloch * 1944 Familien Gelinde * 1944 Spurve under taget * 1946 Oktoberroser * 1948 Hvor er far ? * 1950 Din fortid er glemt

External links

*
Biography at Dansk Komponist Forening
(Danish)

References

*''This article was initially translated from the Danish Wikipedia.'' Danish classical composers Danish male classical composers Danish film score composers Male film score composers 1887 births 1964 deaths Danish conductors (music) Male conductors (music) 20th-century classical composers 20th-century conductors (music) Danish opera composers Male opera composers Danish classical pianists Male classical pianists 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century Danish male musicians {{Denmark-composer-stub

Life

Notable works

Film music

See also

External links

References