DR Symphony Orchestra wins 'Album of the Year' and 'Orchestral Release of the Year' awards

Earlier this year, we invited you to vote in the world-famous Gramophone magazine's poll for the best release of the year award, where our orchestra was one of several famous orchestras nominated for the award.

Of course, for good reason, we don't know how many people answered the call. But most importantly, we can say that WE WON the award. Read here DR's press release about the prestigious victory.

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra's release of all of Carl Nielsen's symphonies has received international acclaim, and so did they when the leading international music journal Gramophone honoured this year's classical music harvest on Wednesday.

It was one of the great honours in the music world that the Danish National Symphony Orchestra received at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London on Wednesday evening. In front of nominees such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Sinfonia of London and Utah Symphony Orchestra, the DR Symphony Orchestra secured the prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Award for 'Album of The Year' in the orchestra category.

For the orchestra, it's both a confirmation that Nielsen's music really is in our blood and proof that our collaboration with Fabio Luisi has given the orchestra, Danish music and DR Koncerthuset a wider international wingspan than ever before.

KIM BOHR, HEAD OF DR KONCERTHUSET, LIVE MUSIC AND P2

But that's not all. When the jury totalled up the results, the DR Symphony Orchestra was also named 'Album of the Year' overall and in all categories.

The Gramophone Classical Music Awards are often considered the classical world's answer to the Oscars and on par with the Grammys. The awards are presented by the critics of the leading international music journal Gramophone, which has been writing about classical music and reviewing classical works for exactly 100 years this year.

Carl Nielsen is rewarded

In fact, it was the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor Fabio Luisi's album of Carl Nielsen's 4th and 5th symphonies - released on Deutsche Grammophon - that won the award. Over the past year, the orchestra has released all of Carl Nielsen's symphonies, and in general, Gramophone critics have been favourable to each of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra's three symphony albums. They have all been selected as 'Editor's Choice' in the prestigious music magazine.

The award for the best classical orchestral album of the year and the award for 'Album of the Year' in general comes after a year in which the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor Fabio Luisi have received a number of international awards and critical acclaim for their recording of Carl Nielsen's complete symphonies.

Several media have called the releases 'the best recording ever' of Carl Nielsen's symphonies, and both DR's P2 and a number of foreign radio stations have featured the Carl Nielsen recording as album of the week or month. Most recently, BBC Music Magazine selected the last Nielsen album as album of the month in the new issue of the magazine, which was released on Tuesday.

Gramophone magazine has called the relationship between the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor Fabio Luisi 'the perfect partnership', and this is the first time a Danish orchestra has released a complete series on the legendary label with the famous yellow logo.

Incidentally, this has all happened in a year when DR has extended the contract with Fabio Luisi, so it now runs until 2029.

Nielsen's music in your blood

The head of DR Koncerthuset, Den Levende Musik and P2, Kim Bohr, says that it is incredibly gratifying to see that the orchestra's Nielsen recording has received such an international response.

- For the orchestra, this is both a confirmation that Nielsen's music really is in our blood and proof that our collaboration with Fabio Luisi has given the orchestra, Danish music and DR Koncerthuset a wider international wingspan than ever before. We are very much looking forward to the many exciting new joint projects that are already in full swing," he says.

The releases of Carl Nielsen's symphonies have come in a year where DR has also had an extensive tribute to Carl Nielsen with more than 10 live concerts in DR Koncerthuset and over 50 hours of radio and TV, which together have shed new light on the great Danish composer. Carl Nielsen actually conducted the Danish National Symphony Orchestra himself back in the 1920s. The DR Symphony Orchestra was nominated in the 'Orchestra of The Year' category, which was the only one decided by a user vote. However, the DR Symphony Orchestra did not receive this award.

At the ceremony in London, 1st Concertmaster Soo-Jin Hong and 1st Principal Clarinettist Johnny Teyssier received the awards on behalf of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.