Herman David Koppel


Herman David Koppel, known in Denmark as Herman D. Koppel, was a composer and pianist of Jewish origin. Born in Copenhagen, he fled the Nazis with his family in 1943. He wrote 13 symphonies, numerous concertos, and 20 string quartets.
He was the father of the Anders Koppel and Thomas Koppel, both composers, Lone Koppel, an opera singer, and Therese Koppel and the brother of the violinist Julius Koppel.

Early life and education

Born on 1 October 1908 in Copenhagen, Herman David Koppel was the son of Isak Meyer Koppel and Maria Hendeles. He was born shortly after his Jewish parents had emigrated to Denmark from Poland.
Like his younger brother Julius, a violinist and concertmaster, he studied piano from the age of 17 at the Royal Danish Conservatory under Rudolph Simonsen and Emilius Bangert. In addition, he studied privately under the Norwegian-Danish pianist Anders Rachlew and undertook study trips to Germany, England and France.

Career

Pianist

As a pianist, Koppel premiered in 1930 at a concert where he included Carl Nielsen's Opus 40, "Theme with Variations", which was enthusiastically acclaimed as "never having been played so beautifully as this evening". Shortly before Nielsen's death in 1931, Koppel performed a concert dedicated to his music, first playing the pieces for Nielsen himself. Thereafter, throughout his life, Koppel continued to perform Nielsen's compositions.
In addition to Nielsen's music, Koppel's repertoire included romantic pieces, especially those by Mozart and Brahms. He also frequently played more modern music from a variety of composers, including the concertos of Bartok, Hans Werner Henze and Darius Milhaud and pieces by Stravinksy and Arnold Schönberg. Koppel played chamber music in the Koppel Quartet and accompanied singers including Aksel Schiøtz and his daughter Lone Koppel.

Composer

As a composer he was self-taught. His début composition was a string quartet which, like his other early works, was inspired by Nielsen and Stravinsky. The first work in his own style was has Piano Concerto No. 1 in March 1933, with its primitive Russian dance rhythms and Afro-American jazz. Koppel himself preferred his Piano Concerto No. 2 while No. 3 is Denmark's most popular piano concerto and one of the few to be published as a recording.
Only a few of the works he wrote in the 1930s have survived. The most important is the jazz-inspired music he wrote together with Bernhard Christensen for Kjeld Abell's musical comedy Melodien der blev væk premiered in 1935. During the German occupation of Denmark in the Second World War, Koppel, together with his wife and two small children, had to move to Sweden. It was there he wrote his Symphony No. 3. His Tre Davidssalmer was inspired by an episode he witnessed during the war when a group of Jews locked inside a German truck began to sing slowly and softly.
Koppel wrote seven symphonies, his fifth winning the Tivoli competition in 1956. His most successful works are his oratorios: Moses, Requiem and Lovsange. His only opera Macbeth, performed at the Royal Danish Theatre in 1970, was less successful, receiving mixed reviews. As for his chamber music, the most often performed are his Sekstet for klaver og blæsere and Ternio for cello and piano. Koppel also wrote music for 29 films and several stage and radio plays. He continued to compose and perform until the mid-1990.

Personal life

Koppel died in Copenhagen on 14 July 1998 and is buried in Vestre Cemetery.

Works

Orchestral works