Arguably the finest Danish composer since Carl Nielsen and one of the 20th century's most important composers, Holmboe's works are very well-represented on disc. Still unrecorded however are the two Violin Concertos(1938 and 1978-79), the Viola Concerto(1991-92), the three Chamber Symphonies(1951, 1968, 1969-70) and Holmboe's last completed composition-the Concerto for String Quartet and orchestra.
VAGN HOLMBOE: A CATALOGUE OF THE ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
1927: Symphony
1928: Symphony (incomplete)
1929: Concerto for Orchestra
1931: Requiem for children's choir and orchestra
Concerto for Chamber Orchestra
Chamber Music No.1 for chamber orchestra
1932: Chamber Music No.2 for strings
Music I for school orchestra
1933: Divertimento I for chamber orchestra
Concerto for strings
Symphony (incomplete)
1933/76:Divertimento II for strings
1935: Suite No.1 for chamber orchestra, op.1
Overture
Chamber Sonata No.1 for Violin and String Orchestra, op. 2b
Symphony No.1 for chamber orchestra, op. 4: 15 minutes + (Bis cd)
Rumanian Suite for Piano and Chamber Orchestra (incomplete)
Rhapsody for Flute and Chamber Orchestra, op.5
1935-36:Suite No.2 for chamber orchestra, op.6
1936: Suite No.3 for chamber orchestra, op.11
Little Overture
1937: Concerto-Symphony for Violin and Orchestra, op.13b (incomplete)
1938: Violin Concerto No.1, op.14
Danish Suite for orchestra
Rumanian Suite for orchestra (revision of 1935 work)
Concertino for chamber orchestra
Music for Violin Choir
1938-39:Symphony No.2, op.15: 27 minutes + (Bis cd)
1939: Chamber Concerto No.1 for Piano, Strings and Timpani, op.17: 29 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
1940: Chamber Concerto No.2 for Flute, Violin, Strings and Percussion, op.20:21 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
Concertino No.1 for Violin, Viola and String Orchestra, op.22: 10m minutes
Concertino No.2 for Violin and String Orchestra, op.24 (lost)
1940-42:Chamber Concerto No.3 for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra, op. 21:16 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
1941: Symphony No.3 "Sinfonia Rustica", op. 25: 26 minutes + (Bis cd)
Symphonic Overture, op.28
1941/45:Symphony No.4 "Sinfonia Sacra" for chorus and orchestra, op. 29: 26 minutes + (Bis cd)
1942-45:Chamber Concerto No. 4 for Piano Trio and Chamber Orchestra, op.30:16 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1943: Chamber Concerto No.5 for Viola and Chamber Orchestra, op.31: 22 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
Chamber Concerto No.6 for Violin and Chamber Orchestra, op.33:22 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1944: Symphony No.5, op.35: 25 minutes + (Bis cd)
1944-45:Ballet "The Ill-Tempered Turk", op.32A (and Ballet Suite, op.32B: 19 minutes + (Bis cd))
Chamber Concerto No.7 for Oboe and Chamber Orchestra, op. 37:19 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
1945: Chamber Concerto No.8 "Sinfonia Concertante" for orchestra, op. 38: 19 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
1945-46:Chamber Concerto No.9 for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, op. 39:20 minutes + (Danacord and Dacapo cds)
Chamber Concerto No.10 for Wood, Brass and Gut and Orchestra, op.40:20 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
1946: Cantata No.5 for baritone, chorus and orchestra
1947: Symphony No.6, op.43: 31 minutes + (Bis cd)
1948: Chamber Concerto No.11 for Trumpet and Orchestra, op.44: 15 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
1950: Symphony No.7, op. 50: 23 minutes * + (Bis cd)
1950: Chamber Concerto No.12 for Trombone and Orchestra, op.52: 14 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
1951: Chamber Symphony No.1, op.53: 19 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
Symphony No.8 "Sinfonia Boreale", op. 56: 34 minutes * + (Bis cd)
1953: "The Tree" for chorus and small orchestra, op.62: 10 minutes
1954: Sinfonia in Memoriam, op.65: 26 minutes + (Bis cd)
1955-56:Chamber Concerto No.13 for Oboe, Viola and Chamber Orchestra, op. 67:21 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1956: Symphonic Metamorphosis No.1 "Epitaph" for orchestra, op. 68: 22 minutes + (Bis cd)
1957: Sinfonia I, op.73A: 11 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
Sinfonia II, op.73B: 19 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
Concertino for four recorders and string orchestra
1958-59:Sinfonia III, op.73C: 10 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
Cantata No.12 for soloists, reciter, chorus and orchestra
1960: "The Forest" for soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra, op.74: 27 minutes
Symphonic Metamorphosis No.2 "Monolith" for orchestra, op.76:8 minutes + (Bis cd)
1961-62:Symphonic Metamorphosis No.3 "Epilog" for orchestra, op.80: 26 minutes + (Bis cd)
1962: Sinfonia IV, op.73D: 16 minutes + (Bis and Dacapo cds)
1963-64:Requiem for Nietzsche" for tenor, baritone, chorus and orchestra, op. 84:51 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1964: "Sinfonia Zieleriana" for orchestra (unfinished)
1967-68/69:Symphony No.9, op. 95: 30 minutes + (Bis cd)
1968: Chamber Symphony No.2 "Elegy", op.100: 30 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1969-70:Chamber Symphony No.3 "Frise", op. 103a: 25 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1970-71/72:Symphony No.10, op. 105: 26 minutes * + (Bis cd)
1971: "Music for Birds and Frogs" for two flutes and sixteen bassoons, op.106B
1971-72:Symphonic Metamorphosis No.4 "Tempo variabile" for orchestra, op. 108:17 minutes + (Bis cd)
1973: "Beatus Parvo" for choir and orchestra, op.117: 17 minutes + (Bis cd)
1973-74:"Diafora" for strings, op. 118
1974: Cello Concerto, op.120: 23 minutes + (Bis cd)
Concerto for Recorder, Strings, Celesta and Vibraphone, op.122: 18 minutes + (Bis cd)
1975-76:Flute Concerto No.1, op.126: 22 minutes + (Bis cd)
1976: Tuba Concerto, op. 127: 16 minutes + (Bis cd)
1977: "Louisiana Concerto" for strings, op.131
"Concerto giocondo e severo" for orchestra op.132: 10 minutes
"The Word" for chorus, brass and organ, op.134
"Fanfare 77" for orchestra
1978-79:Violin Concerto No.2, op. 139: 25 minutes
1980: Symphony No.11, op. 144: 20 minutes + (Bis cd)
1981-82:Flute Concerto No.2, op. 147: 19 minutes + (Bis cd)
1981: Biblical Cantata for baritone, women's chorus and orchestra, op.150: 30 minutes
1983: Concerto for brass with percussion, op. 157
1985: "Ode to the Soul" for soprano, tenor, chorus and brass, op.161
1986: Prelude "To a Pine Tree" for orchestra, op. 164: 5 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
Prelude "To a Dolphin" for orchestra, op. 166: 9 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
Prelude "To a Maple Tree" for orchestra, op.168: 7 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1987: Prelude "To a Willow Tree" for orchestra, op.170: 4 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
Intermezzo concertante for Tuba and Orchestra, op. 171: 7 minutes + (Bis cd)
Prelude "To a Living Stone" for orchestra, op.172c: 11 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
Prelude "To the Seagulls and Cormorants" for orchestra, op. 174, No.6: 6 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1988: Symphony No.12, op. 175: 23 minutes + (Bis cd)
1989: Prelude "To the Pollution of Nature" for orchestra, op.180: 7 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1990: "Die Erfullung" for soprano, baritone, chorus and wind orchestra, op.183: 20 minutes
Prelude "To the Victoria Embankment" for orchestra, op. 184: 11 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1991: Prelude "To the Calm Sea" for orchestra, op.187: 5 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
Prelude "To the Unsettled Weather" for orchestra, op. 188: 9 minutes + (Dacapo cd)
1991-92:Viola Concerto, op. 189: 25 minutes
1994: Symphony No.13, op. 192: 19 minutes + (Bis cd)
1995-96:Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra, op. 195
Caveat - according to Rapoport's "The Compositions of Vagn Holmboe", the score (I think he means score, parts, and the whole etc., but I'm not entirely sure) of the 2nd concertino op.24/M.125 of 1940 is missing. (That isn't to say it might not turn up; there's no notation that it was ever published, however.)
The Romanian Suite for Orchestra is an incomplete orchestration of a complete piano work. Rapoport includes such things for completeness :)
Most of his occasional (written for occasions) series of 13 cantatas seem to have been lost, and of those that survive, not all are for orchestra (no.13 is for a cappella mixed voices); only no.5 seems, I think, to have been published so far (and only in vocal score). No.12 (M. (Meta) 201) is for soloists, reader, chorus & orchestra also (unpublished) and seems still to exist according at least to this source, dating from 1958-59 (premiered 11-September 1959 and conducted by Per Dreier, written for the anniversary of Aarhus University.)
This is an interesting composer and I enjoyed traversing his output on the BIS complete symphonies set. It's quite a journey.
Thanks for the additional information, Eric :)