Founded in 1925, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DR is regarded as Denmark’s leading symphony orchestra. It has performed under many of the 20th century’s greatest conductors, including Nicolai Malko, Bruno Walter, Eugene Ormandy, Leopold Stokowski, Rafael Kubelik and Daniel Barenboim, and has collaborated with composers as soloists and conductors such as Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Hindemith, Boulez, Lutosławski, Stockhausen and Henze.

Regular conductors have included Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Giuseppe Sinopoli, and now include Yuri Temirkanov as principal guest conductor, Herbert Blomstedt, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Michael Gielen and Marek Janowski. Chief conductors have been Herbert Blomstedt (1967–77), Leif Segerstam (1988–95), Ulf Schirmer (1995–98) and Gerd Albrecht (2000–04). In 2004 Thomas Dausgaard took up the appointment as chief conductor. From its home in Copenhagen the orchestra undertakes extensive concert and recording activities, and makes regular tours in Denmark and abroad. The orchestra’s discography includes Sibelius and Mahler symphony cycles as well as a long succession of Danish works—including several operas—for Dacapo, Chandos, EMI and Decca.

Photo courtesy of Agnethe Schlichtkrull