| Danish National Symphony Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | DR Symphony Orchestra |
| Origin | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupations | Symphony orchestra |
| Years active | 1925-present |
| Website | Official website (in Danish) |
| Members | |
| Principal Conductor Thomas Dausgaard |
|
| Past members | |
| Founder Emil Holm |
|
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 the Copenhagen Concert Hall.
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 was in 1927, and began to give weekly concerts in 1928. In 1930, Holm recruited Nikolai Malko 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. 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, from 1967 to 1977. His recording work with the orchestra included recordings of the orchestral works of Carl Nielsen.[1] 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, from 1986 to 1988. Thomas Dausgaard, 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.[2] In February 2011, the DNSO announced the appointment of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos as its next principal conductor, as of the 2012-2013 season, with an initial contract of 3 years through 2015.[3] Past principal guest conductors of the DRSO besides Dausgaard have included Yuri Temirkanov, Michael Schønwandt, and Dmitri Kitaenko.
The orchestra has recorded commercially for such labels as DaCapo and Chandos, including music of Danish composers such as August Enna,[4] Niels Gade,[5] Rued Langgaard,[6] and Per Nørgård.[7][8] The orchestra has also commercially recorded such composers as Johannes Brahms.[9]
In 2010 the orchestra announced Søren Nils Eichberg as its first ever composer in residence.[10]
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