Danish National Symphony Orchestra

“The best – and only the best”

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1925 as part of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation and thus celebrated its 100^th anniversary last year. Today, The Danish National Symphony Orchestra is one of Europe’s top orchestras, recording for Deutsche Grammophon and performing with the world’s leading conductors and soloists.

Since 2016, the Chief Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra has been Fabio Luisi. With Luisi, the orchestra was nominated by Gramophone as Orchestra of the Year, and won the coveted Recording of the Year at the Gramophone Awards 2023 as well as a nomination for the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2024.

For Deutsche Grammophon, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra has recorded the complete symphonies and concertos by Carl Nielsen, which will be succeeded by the complete orchestral works of Arnold Schoenberg and Alexandr Scriabin respectively. Previous recordings include albums on Decca, Chandos and Dacapo Records.

Each year, more than 100,000 music-lovers experience the magic of live symphonic music with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra – both in the spectacular hall of DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen (designed by Jean Nouvel) and on the Orchestra’s many tours abroad. As a broadcast media orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra also has a large international following, thanks to international radio and TV broadcasts by EuroArts and not least DR Koncerthuset’s YouTube channel, where more than 500 million viewers have seen the orchestra’s recordings of film and soundtrack concerts.

Fabio Luisi — Danish National Symphony Orchestra © Agnete Schlichtkrull

Former Principal Conductors and Principal Guest Conductors of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra include the late Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Herbert Blomstedt (Conductor Laureate), Thomas Dausgaard, Gerd Albrecht, Leif Segerstam, Dmitri Kitajenko and Yuri Temirkanov. The orchestra has performed with a.o. Anne Sophie Mutter, Leonidas Kavakos, Leif Ove Andsnes, Lang Lang, Lise Davidsen, Barbara Hannigan, Hilary Hahn, Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider.

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra has toured extensively in the USA, in South America, China, Japan and in most countries in Europe, and performed at some of the most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Berlin Philharmonic, Suntory Hall, Cologne Philharmonic, Concertgebouw, Musikverein (Vienna) and the BBC Proms.

Last season marked the 100^th anniversary of the orchestra, beginning with an extensive European tour and continuing throughout the year with concerts at a.o. The BBC Proms, the Berliner Philharmonie and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

Franz Schmidt: Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln © DR Koncerthuset

“In Luisi’s hands, the coda of the symphony’s scherzo was fresh, exciting, and unlike any rendition I have ever heard. The finale was also exhilarating and uncommon, characterized by thrilling, dynamic swirls and novel accentuations of punctuating rhythmic motifs.”

San Francisco Classical Voice

“The cool, liquid tone in the strings and oboes somehow added a Nordic touch of color, and Luisi shaped the piece in a satisfying arc.”

Los Angeles Times