Poul Ruders

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Poul Ruders (born March 27, 1949 in Ringsted) is a Danish composer.

Ruders trained as an organist, and studied orchestration with Karl Aage Rasmussen. He has written in a wide variety of styles, from the Vivaldi pastiche of his first violin concerto (1981) to the modernism of Manhattan Abstraction (1982). Ruders is probably the most-performed living Danish composer.

Other works include the operas Tycho (1986), The Handmaid's Tale (1990) and Proces Kafka/Kafka's Trial (2005) , two symphonies, three string quartets and two piano sonatas. Ruders has also written several important pieces for the American guitarist and promoter of new music David Starobin: Psalmodies (1989) and Paganini Variations for guitar and orchestra (1999-2000), and Psalmodies Suite (1990), Etude and Ricercare (1994) and Chaconne (1996) for solo guitar. Ruders has also composed a Concerto in Pieces (1995), which is a set of variations on the "Witches' Chorus" from Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas.