Symphony No.15 "The Sea Storm" - Rued Langgaard

Danish National Symphony Orchestra & Choir conducted by Thomas Dausgaard. Johan Reuter as the baritone.

I - Bevæget (0:00) - Scherzo (5:42) - Adagio funebre (6:53) - Finale. Allegro molto agitato (12:08)

Langgaard's Symphony No.15 was originally composed in 1937 for baritone solo, male choir and orchestra with the title "The Night Storm", set to a poem from 1912 by Thøger Larsen. Twelve years later, on February 5 of 1949, Langgaard was out on one of his frequent night-time walks in Ribe, and on this presumably dark and stormy night inspiration struck him. At four in the morning, he put pen to paper and at seven he had finished the sketch for a new, one-movement symphony that was given the above-mentioned choral work from 1937 as its concluding section.

The work wasn't premiered until November 23 of 1976, in a studio production with Peter Rasmussen (baritone), the Kolding Male Choir and the Odense City Orchestra conducted by Karol Stryja. However, it hasn't been performed publicly yet. The symphony was inspired by Georges Rodenbach's novel "Bruges-la-morte". In a preface, the composer compares Ribe to Bruges as the city is described by Rodenbach. Langgaard feels like an Orpheus, rushing into the stormy night to visit the vanished Eurydice, but finding only "dead Ribe", the shades of the underworld, flickering street lamps and the sound of the cathedral tolling the hours.

The modernistic features, the chromaticism, the lack of tonal anchoring and the airy instrumentation are elements one does not expect to find in late Langgaard. But often it was apocalyptic visions that inspired the composer to the strongest and most original expression. The work opens with a passionate main theme on strings, very ambiguous and tonally loose. Follows a modernistic development with which Langgaards wants to represent apocalyptic visions, specially through fugato passages. A brief but graceful scherzo then ensues.

A funereal adagio begins with a variation of the opening theme, unfolding in a deeply expressive manner, apocalyptic at times. After being recapitulated, a transition leads us to the finale. A dramatic orchestral introduction is followed by the chorus on Thøger Larsen's poem. The symbolism of ruin and decay is obvious and is supported by the poem's metaphors. The baritone enters in a solemn solo, being answered by the orchestra in a dialogue. The chorus then reappears, leading us to a grand coda.

Picture: "Rocky coast" by the Danish artist Holger Drachmann.

Sources: https://bit.ly/3yDMbhw, https://bit.ly/3ZNDj4I and https://bit.ly/429mW49

Unfortunately the score is not available.