Another thing about Langgaard that impresses me is that however miserable and bitter he seems to have felt; it doesn't show in his music. I suppose it was his means of escape from his predicament,of course.
However,the other concerto's sound very interesting,and I'll have another nine odd minutes of Rued,for the archive!
I really love the music of Langgaard - the abrupt, kaleidoscopic sectionalism of his style very much brings Havergal Brian to mind. One of my favourite pieces is his sarcastic response to the acclaim which greeted Nielsen - the following is taken from the booklet notes for Chandos CHAN 9786:
Carl Nielsen, Our Great Composer (1948)
is one of the isolated composer’s most
desperate – and sarcastic – utterances. In a
foreword to the piece (the whole text of which
is identical to the title) Langgaard complains
at having had to live and breathe in a musical
Denmark ‘infested’ by Carl Nielsen. Langgaard
was highly critical of Nielsen (1865–1931)
and his music, even though the latter was one
of Langgaard’s most important sources of
inspiration around 1920. He submitted his
ironical tribute to Nielsen, which is ‘dedicated
to “Musical life in Denmark” 1891–1948’ to
Danish National Radio incomplete (only the
seven opening bars are fully scored)
accompanied by the acrid comment that the
orchestration could surely be completed by
Emil Reesen. Reesen was one of the people
who had assisted Carl Nielsen in the
orchestration of occasional music. The work
comprises thirty-two bars, and after the last
bar Langgaard dictates that the work is to be
‘repeated to eternity!’. The present recording
of Bo Andersen’s realisation of the score
attempts to indicate this.
