Langgaard

Thomas Dausgaard and the Seattle Symphony return with inspiring and powerful performances of works rooted in the fascination with the Antichrist. For Langgaard it became his opera, Antichrist, which was also the original title for Strauss An Alpine Symphony. Coupling Langgaards Prelude to Antichrist with Strauss An Alpine Symphony, this album explores the composers disparate ideological interpretations of the Antichrist in expansive, thought-provoking live performances, superbly played by the Seattle Symphony. With naturalistic imaging, depth of field and dynamic range, all Seattle Symphony Media recordings have been engineered to audiophile standards and aim to capture as realistically as possible the sound of the orchestra performing on the Benaroya Hall stage.

Langgaard (1893-1952) is slowly emerging as one of the major symphonists of this century; he is certainly one of the major composers of Denmark, right in line behind Nielsen. His Symphony 4 (1916), Fall of the Leaf, is a beautiful study of the forces of nature. Symphony 5 (1917-18), Nature of the Steppe, is more characteristically Nordic than anything particularly Mongol or Russian. The Symphony 6 (1949), Heavens Asunder, is about a cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil. These are major works, tonal and Romantic at their core. Excellent performances, excellent sound.

The Nightingale String Quartets survey of the complete quartet works of Rued Langgaard (1893-1952) heralded the arrival of a major new ensemble and won the maverick Danish composer thousands of new fans. Poised and restrained one minute, wild and emotional the next, Langgaards string quartets reveal the composers breathtaking originality and individuality, oscillating between luscious Romanticism and outlandish experimentation. They are played with love and understanding on these multiple prize-winning recordings, here gathered together in a single release for the first time.

The Kontra Quartet was absolutely one of the leading string quartets in Europe. The quartet was constantly busy and giving concerts in the USA, in Japan and all over Europe as well as making recordings, playing in TV productions and giving master classes. In 1973 the quartet was formed around the Hungarian violin virtuoso Anton Kontra, whose dynamic artistic personality has been setting new standards for the violin and music in general in Scandinavia since 1956. Along with three of Denmark’s leading string players, Anton Kontra played quartet music for over quarter of a century, and the Kontra Quartet was one of Denmark’s most sought-after ensembles.

"After award-winning Langgaard recordings, the Nightingale String Quartet turns to one of the great unsung quartet cycles of the last century, that of Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996). Volume 1 in this new cycle takes in the composer’s first published quartet, his momentum momentum-fueled Quartet No. 3 and his taut Quartet No. 15 with its pathos-imbued Funeral march. These are fresh new performances that support the idea that the deeper you dig into Holmboe’s music, the more you find."