BBC Awards in London: DR Symphony Orchestra wins Album of the Year award

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra received a BBC Music Magazine Award 2024 on Thursday evening for their recording of Carl Nielsen's solo concertos. Two of the orchestra's own musicians, Ulla Miilmann and Johnny Teyssier, are soloists on the recording, and Fabio Luisi is the conductor. (Photo: © Sisse Stroyer © DR)

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Cecilie Rosenmeier

They are used to playing difficult solos and performing in front of full houses and on live TV.

But on Thursday evening, two of the DR Symphony Orchestra's musicians took to the stage in a completely different role: as recipients of a BBC Music Magazine Award in London. It took place at a ceremony at King's Place, where a large part of the international music industry was gathered to honour the most important classical releases of the year.

The award for the best album in the 'Concertos' category was given to the latest release in the Danish National Symphony Orchestra's series of Carl Nielsen symphonies and concertos, and it was the orchestra's concertmaster Christina Åstrand and principal clarinettist Johnny Teyssier who accepted the award on behalf of the orchestra.

• A total of 10 awards presented on Thursday 18 April at King's Place, London
• DR Symphony Orchestra won the 'Concertos' category with the recording of Nielsen's solo concertos for Deutsche Grammophon
• Soloists on the recording: Ulla Miilmann (flute), Johnny Teyssier (clarinet), Bomsori (violin)
• Producer and sound engineering: Bernhard Güttler and Mikkel Nymand

The release, which won a BBC Award on Thursday, features two of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra's own musicians as soloists, flautist Ulla Miilmann and clarinettist Johnny Teyssier.

The two soloists have already been praised by the BBC critics, who selected the album as 'Recording of the Month' ahead of the award. They stated that the two orchestral musicians are 'world-class soloists', and the recording received top marks both artistically and technically.

The technical side of the recording, produced by Bernhard Güttler and Mikkel Nymand, is also praised by BBC Music Magazine: 'The sound is perfect for the sound of the soloists and matches the beauty of the fine acoustics in DR Koncerthuset.

Kim Bohr, Director of DR Koncerthuset and Artistic Director of the DR Symphony Orchestra, says about the BBC Prize:

- "I'm incredibly happy for the musicians about the great recognition that the award from the BBC represents. We were already overwhelmed by the international success that has followed in the wake of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra's Carl Nielsen recording. But it's an extra great pleasure to receive this award for the album, which features two of our own musicians as soloists. It shows with the utmost clarity that our orchestra today can compete with the very best - both on an individual level and together. At the same time, with our Nielsen series, we have made an important contribution to promoting Carl Nielsen's music abroad.

With the new BBC Award, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra can add another honour to the collection of international accolades that have been awarded to the orchestra's publication of Carl Nielsen's symphonies and solo concertos.

Most recently, the orchestra received the main prize at the Gramophone Awards in London, where they were also nominated as 'Orchestra of the Year' alongside the Berlin Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, among others. The competition for the BBC Prize has also been fierce, and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra has overtaken leading French and English orchestras, among others.

Over the past year, several international media outlets have hailed the orchestra's Nielsen series as 'the best ever', and it has been album of the week and month on several foreign radio stations in addition to our own P2.

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra is currently working on a new recording series for the Deutsche Grammophon label, this time the complete orchestral works of composer Alexander Scriabin.