History  

The Aarhus Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1935 under the name of Aarhus Byorkester (the Aarhus Town Orchestra) as an extension of the orchestra of the Aarhus Theatre.
In 1927 the young energetic conductor Thomas Jensen was attached to the orchestra, and the great conducting skills of the young Copenhagener were soon revealed. In co-operation with - among others - the enterprising professor of literature Gustav Albeck, Thomas Jensen became the anchorman in the founding of the orchestra - and its first chief conductor.
During the first years the orchestra was closely attached to the Aarhus Theatre, which was problematic from the point-of-view of economy and employment, as - for a considerable part of the year - the musicians were bound to play at the performances of the Theatre.
For many years the orchestra would perform in many different venues, among which were the sports hall of the Aarhus Stadium, the main hall of the University of Aarhus, the Scala Cinema, and the Congress Hall. In 1982 Musikhuset Aarhus (Concert Hall Aarhus) was inaugurated, and until may 2007 the orchestra has performed the greater part of its concerts there.

In August 2007 the ASO moved in to it's brand new concert hall the Symphonic Hall at Musikhuset Aarhus (Concert Hall Aarhus). For the first time ever the orchestra will now be able to rehearse and give concerts in the same hall. The world-famous Danish violinist Nikolaj Znaider was the first soloist to perform with the orchestra and he didn't hesitate to call the Symphonic Hall a "first class concert hall". The hall is designed by the Danish architects C.F. Møller, and together with COWI the well-reputed company ARTEC has formed the acoustics of the hall. There are 1176 seats in the new hall, and an important source of inspiration is the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna.

The Aarhus Symphony Orchestra was given its present name in 1983.

Complete list of recordings with the ASO
• Gade: Korsfarerne (The Crusaders) ; Frans Rasmussen, conductor (BIS CD-465) 1989
• Richard Strauss: Aus Italien & Macbeth; Norman Del Mar, conductor (ASV CD DCA 750) 1991
• Per Nørgård: Symphonies 2 & 4; Jorma Panula, conductor (Point PCD 5070) 1986-87
• Niels Viggo Bentzon: Symphonies 5, opus 61 'Ellipser' & 7, opus 83 'De tre versioner'; Ole Schmidt, conductor (dacapo 8.224111) 1980 & 1982
• Vagn Holmboe: Symphony Cycle; Owain Arwel Hughes, conductor (BIS CD 572, 573, 605, 618, 695, 728, 750 and the complete cycle: BIS 843/846 ) 1993-1996
• Niels Viggo Bentzon: Symphonies 3 & 4; Ole Schmidt, conductor (Dacapo 9102) 1981
• Bent Lorentzen: Oboe and Trumpet Concertos; Frans Rasmussen, conductor (Dacapo, DCCD 9314) 1992
• Francis Poulenc: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra; Frans Rasmussen, conductor (OLYMPIA, OCD 364) 1993
• Ivar Frounberg: What did the Sirens sing, as Ulysses Sailed by? Frans Rasmussen, conductor (Dacapo/MARCO POLO 8.224027) 1995
• Bent Lorentzen:Comics/Jørgen Jersild: Alice in Wonderland; Frans Rasmussen, conductor (Danacord, DACOCD 501) 1991 & 1995
• Johannes Brahms: Serenades, Opus 11 & 16; James Loughran, conductor; (Kontrapunkt 32286) 1998
• Rued Langgaard: Sinfonia Interna; Frans Rasmussen, conductor (Dacapo 8.224136) 1997-98
• Antonin Dvorák: Serenades, opus 22 & 44 and some Slavonic Dances; James Loughran, conductor;
(Kontrapunkt 32308) 1999
• Frederick Delius: Danish Masterworks; Bo Holten, conductor; Henriette Bonde-Hansen, soprano; Johan Reuter, baritone; The Danish National Opera Chorus, Aarhus Chamber Choir (DACOCD 536) 2000
• Niels Viggo Bentzon: Piano Concerto no. 4, opus 96 & Mobiles, opus 125; Ole Schmidt, conductor; Anker Blyme, piano (Dacapo 8.224110)
• Franz Schubert: Complete Symphonies and some ouvertures; Hans Graf, conductor (Kontrapunkt 32318; 32321/22, 32319/20) 1998-2000
• Frederick Delius: Norwegian Masterworks; Bo Holten, conductor; Henriette Bonde-Hansen, soprano; John Kjøller, tenor; Hummerkoret; Aarhus University Choir; Aarhus Chamber Choir (DACOCD 592) 2001
• Rachmaninov: 4 Piano Concertos, Paganini Rhapsody; James Loughran, conductor; Oleg Marshev, piano (DACOCD 582-583) 2001
• Gunnar Berg: Piano & orcestra; Ole Smidt, conductor; Aloys Kontarsky, piano (DACOCD 611-612)
• Emil von Sauer: Piano Concerto No. 2; James Loughran, conductor; Oleg Marshev, piano (DACOCD 596) 2002
• Tage Nielsen: Il Giardino magico, Passacaglia; Jean Thorel, conductor (Dacapo 8.224702) 2003-04
• Knudåge Riisager: Qarrtsiluni, Månerenen, (balletmusik), Bo Holten, conductor (Dacapo 8.226022) 2004
• Carl Nielsen: Maskarade-ouverture, Ved en ung kunstners båre, Helios-ouverture, En Sagadrøm, Pan og Syrinx, En fantasirejse til Færøerne, Bøhmisk-dansk folkesang, Aladdin; Lance Friedel, conductor, medlemmer af Den Jyske Operas Kor (MSR 1150) 2004
• Mily Balakirev: Tamara, Klaverkoncert nr. 1, Symfoni nr. 1; James Loughran, conductor; Oleg Marshev, piano (DACOCD 616) 2003 & 2004
• Niels Marthinsen: Monster Symphony, Panorama, Skriftestolen – operatrailer; Michel Tabachnik, conductor (Dacapo 8.226510) 2005
• Frederic Cowen: Symphony No. 6, The Idyllic & Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Sympony in a minor; Douglas Bostock, conductor (Classico 684). 2006
• Erik Bach: Réflexions for clarinet and orchestra (Spyros Mourikis, clarinet); Berlin Revisited; Astrotrain, Bo Holten, conductor (Dacapo, Open Space 8.226527) 2005
• Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 7, James Loughran, conductor (Danacord 655) 2005
• Niels Rosing-Schow: Granito y arco iris, Jean Thorel, conductor (Dacapo Open Space, 8.226535) 2006
• Johan Svendsen & Lange-Müller: Concertos for violin and orchestra, Lars Bjørnkjær, violin; Giordano Bellincampi, conductor (Danacord 662) 2007
• Poul Ruders: Koncerter, Erik Heide, violin; Mathias Reumert, slagtøj, Thomas Søndergård, dirigent (Dacapo 8,226034) 2009
• Carl Nielsen: Kantater, Ditte Højgaard Andersen, sopran, Mathias Hedegaard, tenor, Palle Knudsen, baryton, Jens Albinus, recitator; Den Jyske Operas Kor; Vox Aros, Sct. Clemens Kantori, Bo Holten, dirigent (Dacapo 8,226079) 2009 (Danish Radio: P2 Prize-winner vocal-genre, Oct. 2010)