The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Danish: ''DR Symfoniorkestret''; English abbreviation "DNSO"), is a Danish orchestra based in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

. The DNSO is the principal orchestra of DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation). The DRSO is based at the Koncerthuset (lit. translation in english, ''The Concert House'') concert hall in Copenhagen.

History

The roots of the orchestra date back to the singer Emil Holm, who expressed a wish to establish a full-time symphony orchestra in Denmark. In collaboration with fellow musicians Otto Fessel, Rudolf Dietz Mann and Folmer Jensen, the orchestra was founded in 1925, with 11 players in the ensemble and conductor Launy Grøndahl having a leadership role, though without a formal title. The orchestra grew to 30 players within a year. The orchestra performed its first public concert in 1927, and began to give weekly concerts in 1928. In 1930, Holm recruited

Nikolai Malko Nicolai Andreyevich Malko (russian: Никола́й Андре́евич Малько́, ua, Микола Андрійович Малько; 4 May 188323 June 1961) was a Russian-born American symphonic conductor. Biography Malko was born in ...

to a similar key role like Grøndahl as conductor with the orchestra, though again without Malko having a formal title. Early concerts were at the Axelborg building. In 1931, the orchestra began to give concerts at the ''Stærekassen'' hall of 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 s ...

. After going into exile from Germany in the 1930s, Fritz Busch worked extensively as a major conductor of the orchestra in parallel with Malko, though again with no formal title. By 1948, the orchestra had attained membership of 92 musicians. The first conductor to have the formal title of principal conductor with the orchestra was

Herbert Blomstedt Herbert Thorson Blomstedt (; born 11 July 1927) is a Swedish conductor. Herbert Blomstedt was born in Massachusetts. Two years after his birth, his Swedish parents moved the family back to their country of origin. He studied at the Stockholm Ro ...

, from 1967 to 1977. His recording work with the orchestra included recordings of the orchestral works of

Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he ...

. Blomstedt now has the title of ''æresdirigent'' (honorary conductor) with the DNSO. The second principal conductor, after an interregnum of 9 years, was

Lamberto Gardelli Lamberto Gardelli (8 November 191517 July 1998) was a Swedish conductor of Italian birth,Lamberto Gardelli. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. particularly associated with the Italian opera repertory, e ...

, from 1986 to 1988.

Thomas Dausgaard Thomas Dausgaard (; born 4 July 1963 in Copenhagen) is a Danish conductor. Biography Dausgaard studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen and with Norman Del Mar at the Royal College of Music in London. He subsequently partic ...

, who was the DNSO's principal guest conductor from 2001 to 2004, became principal conductor of the DNSO in 2004, the first Danish conductor to hold the title. In October 2009, Dausgaard chose to conclude his principal conductorship of the DNSO at the close of the 2010–2011 season and to take the title of ''æresdirigent''. Past principal guest conductors of the DRSO, besides Dausgaard, have included

Yuri Temirkanov Yuri Khatuevich Temirkanov (russian: Ю́рий Хату́евич Темирка́нов; kbd, Темыркъан Хьэту и къуэ Юрий; born December 10, 1938) is a Russian conductor of Circassian ( Kabardian) origin. Early life ...

Michael Schønwandt Michael Schønwandt (born 10 September 1953 in Frederiksberg) is a Danish conductor. In Denmark, he studied piano, theory, and composition, and later continued musical studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Biography In 1979, Schønwand ...

, and Dmitri Kitaenko. In 2010, the orchestra appointed Søren Nils Eichberg as its first-ever composer-in-residence. The orchestra has performed compositions by Eichberg such as the premiere of his Symphony No 3. In February 2011, the DNSO announced the appointment

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (born Rafael Frühbeck; 15 September 1933 – 11 June 2014) was a Spanish conductor and composer. Frühbeck was born in Burgos, Spain to a family of German ancestry. He first took up conducting while on military serv ...

as principal conductor, effective with the 2012–2013 season, with an initial contract of three years through 2015. On 4 June 2014, Frühbeck de Burgos resigned as chief conductor of the orchestra, with immediate effect, in parallel with his retirement from conducting, because of health problems. In August 2014, the orchestra appointed

Fabio Luisi Fabio Luisi (born 17 January 1959) is an Italian conductor. He is currently principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Bio ...

as its next principal conductor, effective in 2017, with an initial contract through 2020. In May 2018, the orchestra announced the extension of Luisi's contract through 2023. In August 2020, the orchestra announced a further extension of Luisi's contract through 2026. The orchestra has recorded commercially for such labels as DaCapo and Chandos, including music of Danish composers such as

August Enna August Enna (13 May 1859 – 3 August 1939) was a Danish composer, known mainly for his operas. Enna was born in Nakskov, Lolland, Denmark, but his ethnic origins lay in Sicily. His first major success as a composer was ''The Witch'' (1892), w ...

Niels Gade Niels Wilhelm Gade (22 February 1817 – 21 December 1890) was a Danish composer, conductor, violinist, organist and teacher. Together with Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann, he was the leading Danish musician of his day. Biography Gade was bor ...

, Rued Langgaard, and

Per Nørgård Per Nørgård (; born 13 July 1932) is a Danish composer and music theorist. Though his style has varied considerably throughout his career, his music has often included repeatedly evolving melodies—such as the infinity series—in the vein o ...

. The orchestra has also commercially recorded such composers as

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

Principal conductors

(1967–1977) *

(1986–1988) * Leif Segerstam (1988–1995) *

Ulf Schirmer Ulf Schirmer (born 1959) is a German conductor and opera house administrator. Born in Eschenhausen, Lower Saxony, Schirmer studied at the Bremen Conservatory, and also at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, with György Ligeti, Christ ...

(1995–1998) *

Gerd Albrecht Gerd Albrecht (19 July 1935 – 2 February 2014) was a German conductor. Biography Albrecht was born in Essen, the son of the musicologist Hans Albrecht (1902–1961). He studied music in Kiel and in Hamburg, where his teachers included Wilhel ...

(2000–2004) *

(2004–2011) *

(2012–2014) *

(2017–present)

Danish Radio conductors affiliated with the orchestra

* Launy Grøndahl (1925–1956) *

Emil Reesen Emil Reesen (30 May 1887 – 27 March 1964) was a Danish composer, conductor and pianist. Aside from composing for ballets and operas he was also a noted film score composer. He is remembered mainly for his operetta ''Farinelli'' (1942), w ...

(1927–1936) * Erik Tuxen (1936–1957) *

Mogens Wöldike Mogens Wöldike (5 July 1897, Copenhagen – 20 October 1988, Copenhagen) was a Danish conductor, choirmaster, organist, and scholar known for his interpretation of music from the Baroque and Classical periods. His son-in-law was the Haydn ...

(1950–1976) * Thomas Jensen (1957–1963)

References

External links

Official DRSO Danish-language page

DRSO English-language official page
{{Authority control Danish orchestras Musical groups established in 1925 Radio and television orchestras Culture in Copenhagen National orchestras 1925 establishments in Denmark