Rued Langgaard

Collected Songs 3

Rued Langgaard (1893-1952) is one of the most important Danish composers of the 20th century. He has, however, only acquired this status many years after his death. Langgaard was an eminent musical talent, but with his romantic and symbolist view of art he ended up as an outsider in an era when the trend-setting musical life of the time was permeated by Carl Nielsen's sober and modern attitude. Rued Langgaard's production within the lied genre comprises 125 songs. Half of them were composed in the short span of years between 1914 and 1918, when the composer was in his early twenties. With this publication in three volumes, Langgaard's important and personal contribution to the genre is presented in its entire range. Only 27 of the songs have previously been published. The songs are set to German, Danish and Norwegian poems. The poems in Danish and Norwegian are included in an English translation (though not designed for performance purposes). Each volume is accompanied by an introduction, source descriptions and a critical apparatus in Danish and English. The Rued Langgaard Edition (RLU) was established in 2000, the aim being to present practical, performance-oriented publications of Langgaard's works on a critical scholarly basis.