Danish composer, conductor and pianist Emil Reesen was born in Copenhagen on 30 May 1887. He studied privately with various teachers including Liszt pupil Siegfried Langgaard and composer Vilhelm Rosenberg.
As a composer he is remembered mainly for the operetta Farinelli (1942) but his output also included other operettas, an opera, ballet music and other orchestral music, including a series of film scores.
As a conductor, he worked with the DR Symfoniorkestret and conducted ballet at Det Kongelige Teater. Later he worked with the Wiener Symphoniker and the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Emil Reesen died on 27 March 1964 in Gentofte, aged seventy-six.
Spotlight. Denmark's Greatest Conductor? - Gerald Fenech delves into more volumes of Danacord's 'Thomas Jensen Legacy' series. 'Strongly recommended.'
CD Spotlight. Jack-of-All-Trades - Gerald Fenech listens to recordings by the Danish conductor Emil Reesen. '... full of dash and spirit ...'