Concerto Copenhagen

Concerto Copenhagen ranks among Scandinavia’s foremost ensembles devoted to historically informed Baroque performance, focusing on both the familiar canon and lesser-known regional works while frequently serving as an opera orchestra and drawing an uncommon array of distinguished international singers. Commonly abbreviated as CoCo, the group was founded in 1991. Its trajectory shifted decisively when harpsichordist Lars Ulrik Mortensen assumed artistic direction in 1999; under his leadership the programming juxtaposed continental European repertoire with rarely heard Scandinavian scores, thereby illuminating fresh artistic and ideological currents. By the 2010s the orchestra was appearing regularly in Copenhagen—most often at Garnisons Church—as well as throughout Denmark and on international stages, undertaking tours across the Americas, East Asia, Australia, and numerous European nations. Working both with Copenhagen’s Royal Theatre, where it typically mounts one opera each year, and in independent presentations, Concerto Copenhagen has partnered with leading figures in Baroque vocal music, among them countertenor Andreas Scholl, soprano Vivica Genaux, and ensemble leader Jordi Savall. Although its core activity remains Baroque music, the ensemble has also explored contemporary scores; Danish composer Karl Aage Rasmussen held the post of composer-in-residence from 2015 to 2017. The orchestra had already built a distinguished discography before Mortensen’s arrival, issuing several Chandos releases in the mid-1990s. It transferred to the CPO label in 2004 for a recording of symphonies by Johann Ernest Hartmann and has continued there, presenting music by Bach and Handel alongside further Scandinavian composers. A 2006 album featured the works of Georg Gerson and Friedrich Ludwig Aemilius Kunzen, while a 2019 release documented Handel’s Brockes-Passion, HWV 48.