The general title of this CD, though not mentioned on the cover, is “Danish Orchestral Music”. Not only it showcases some of the best of Danish music from the romantic school to the contemporary but also it is showing off the extraordinary level of the conservatoire orchestra of Aarhus city.

The final volume in the historically important collection of rare recordings with the Danish versatile conductor Launy Grøndahl features the opera The Black Spider, an unknown masterpiece by the Swiss conductor Heinrich Sutermeister. In addition to never-before-released broadcast recordings, this volume collects the very first 78RPM recordings made by Grøndahl with his Olympia Orchestra in 1923. All previous volumes, from Volume 1 to this final release, are available.

This is the fourth release (two more to come) of N.W. Gade’s Cantata Series. Earlier releases (KPT 32070 “Elverskud”, KPT 32072 “Kalanus”, KPT 32148“Zion, Die Heilige Nacht, Gefion”) have been received with enormous interest throughout the world and generated quite an excitement around this composer who has unjustly been placed more or less in the shadow of Carl Nielsen. “Comala” is Gade’s first attempt in his orchestra/chorus works which he called “Concert Pieces” composed in 1846 in Leipzig where he was taken under the wing of Mendelssohn whose post at the Gewandhaus Gade succeeded eventually.

The year 2005 marked the bicentennial anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth, whose's writing has been the treasury of the world. Internationally renowned tenor Poul Elming compiled an album of Lieder by great composers inspired Andersen's poetry.

This new release features studio and live broadcast recordings, never previously issued and newly remastered from the original tapes, of Romantic and 20th-century Danish music. Highlights include an atmospheric tone-poem by Gade, ballet and concert scores based on fairy-tales of Hans Christian Andersen, an overture to celebrate the end of the Nazi occupation of Denmark and a colorful set of orchestral variations based on Danish radio ?s theme tune. The performances bear witness to the high technical standard of the DRSO ?s playing, nearly 70 years ago, as well as to the tireless advocacy of Launy Grøndahl for the music of his own country.