THOMAS DAUSGAARD
CONDUCTORPRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR – RTVE
Conductor Laureate – Swedish Chamber Orchestra
Honorary Conductor – Orchestra della Toscana / ORT
Honorary Conductor – Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DR
THOMAS DAUSGAARD
CONDUCTOR
PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR
RTVE
Conductor Laureate – Swedish Chamber Orchestra
Honorary Conductor – Orchestra della Toscana / ORT
Honorary Conductor – Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DR
ABOUT
Danish conductor Thomas Dausgaard is internationally acclaimed as an artist “of huge conviction and outrageously good musicianship” (Europadisc), renowned for his creativity and innovation in programming, an extensive catalogue of critically-acclaimed recordings, and for “ataclysmic…life-affirming…sublime…” performances (The Times).
He is passionate about music’s engagement with society and the issues of our time, and its relevance and potential as a vital and innovative force in the life of current and future generations.
He recently completed his successful tenure as Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (2016-2022). He also holds titles as Conductor Laureate of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra (Chief Conductor 1997-2019), Honorary Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Principal Guest Conductor 2001-2004, Chief Conductor 2004–2011), and Honorary Conductor of the Orchestra della Toscana. He was previously Principal Guest Conductor (2014-2019) and Music Director (2019-2022) of the Seattle Symphony. He has been awarded the Cross of Chivalry by the Queen of Denmark, and elected to the Royal Academy of Music in Sweden.
Select highlights of his 2022/23 season include hotly anticipated return concerts with the Tokyo Metropolitan and KBS symphonies; Brussels, Copenhagen, Dresden and Wrocław philharmonics; Lucerne Symphony Orchestra; Brucknerhaus Linz; Orchestre de Chambre de Paris; and Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE.
As a guest conductor Dausgaard has worked extensively with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Vienna and Bavarian Radio Symphonies, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester and Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Toronto Symphony, Houston Symphony and Bergen Philharmonic with whom he is recording Bruckner symphonies for BIS. He has also appeared with the New York, Los Angeles, Munich and St Petersburg Philharmonics, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and regularly at prestigious festivals worldwide, notably the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International, Salzburg, Mostly Mozart, Ravinia and George Enescu Festivals, and Tanglewood. He has toured extensively in Europe and the US with “his” orchestras, as well as a week-long residency in Tokyo 2019, presenting the BBC Proms in Japan for the first time.
Dausgaard’s innovative “Roots”-programmes – contextualising classical music with other genres – include Sibelius, Stravinsky, Brahms, Bartok, Nielsen with groups of folk musicians, Mahler with klezmer music, Debussy with gamelan ensemble, and Rachmaninoff with orthodox chant, of which several have been presented at the BBC Proms. His latest commission project is “Scottish Inspirations”; fascinated by the diversity and richness of Scottish history, arts and natural wonders Dausgaard has asked composers to make what inspires them about Scotland into a musical work – composers have included Sally Beamish, Anna Clyne, Helen Grime and Bent Sørensen. Since Beethoven’s Complete Orchestral Music – for the first time with one partnership (Dausgaard and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra) – , Dausgaard’s CD recordings have consistently been praised, including several complete symphonic cycles – Schumann, Schubert and Brahms (SCO), Langgaard (DNSO), Sibelius Kullervo and Bartok Orchestral works (BBC SSO), Mahler 10, Nielsen symphonies and Strauss tone poems (Seattle SO), Bruckner symphonies (Bergen Phil), as well as CD’s with Berlioz, Brahms, Liszt, Zemlinsky, Sibelius and Danish composers Nørgård, Abrahamsen, Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, Sørensen and Nielsen (DNSO).
As an arranger, Dausgaard’s orchestrations include Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, songs by Grieg and Sibelius, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an exhibition (with chorus).
Dausgaard’s exploratory approach has taken him to remote parts of the globe, connecting with people of different cultures, from the Amazon to Borneo, from China to Pacific Islands. He has initiated a collaboration with a youth orchestra in the favelas of Sao Paulo and given conducting master classes from Spain to Beijing. During Covid lockdown Dausgaard launched a successful you-tube channel called Thomas’ Music Room, introducing “children and childlike souls” to music, and most recently he has been hosting war refugees in Denmark.
RECENT PRAISE
NEW YORK TIMES
“Fired up by its kinetic Danish conductor, Thomas Dausgaard, this versatile ensemble performed the musical selections in the first half without breaks, drawing a dramatic arc that proved emotionally satisfying and intellectually stimulating.”
CLASSICAL SOURCE
“… A performance bursting with life – punchy and packed with virility … A passionate Thomas Dausgaard secured clarity, energy and momentum … Triumph over tribulation has never been so exhilarating.”
THE TIMES
“… cataclysmic … life-affirming … sublime … he offered a different view of Ravel, full of texture, atmosphere and rhythmic discipline. With the earthy heartbeat throb of the double basses, the wing-whirring flute and the woozy string glissandos, the opening felt like a moth emerging from its cocoon only to flutter too close to the flame at the piece’s climax and meet its demise … And this Nielsen burst forth with huge energy, the strings full of heart and guts. The colourful, giddying “cosmic waltz”, as the conductor Osmo Vanska once described it, gave way to an andante that felt rooted in ancient landscape, two wordless soloists (Elizabeth Watts and Benjamin Appl) singing from high above. And in the finale the musical motifs grew like cells replicating, generating what felt like life itself.”
SEEN & HEARD INTERNATIONAL
“A great Dane bids Scotland farewell with magnificent BBC SSO performances of Mozart and Nielsen … an incredible performance of world-class intensity … life-enhancing … This conductor over six seasons (two of which were afflicted by the worldwide pandemic) has been at the heart of many highlights in this orchestra’s music-making … one hopes that the maestro will return soon, for his presence in Glasgow will be greatly missed. For his successor, he will be leaving an ensemble of outstanding virtuosity and flexibility in diverse repertoire.”
NEWS
CONTACT
DEREK CHANDRUANG
GENERAL MANAGEMENT (EX. NORTH AMERICA)
+44 (0) 20 7957 5810
EMAIL
CHLOE KIELY
ASSISTANT ARTIST MANAGER
+44 (0) 207 957 5888
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