Portal:Opera/Selected biography/34

Carl Nielsen (9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish conductor, violinist, and widely recognized as his country's greatest composer. While his symphonies, concertos and choral music are now internationally acclaimed, Nielsen's career and personal life were marked by many difficulties, often reflected in his music. The works he composed between 1897 and 1904 are sometimes ascribed to his "psychological" period, resulting mainly from a turbulent marriage with the sculptor Anne Marie Brodersen. His opera Maskarade was a resounding success at its 1906 premiere is generally considered to be Denmark's national opera. Its lasting popularity there is attributable to its many strophic songs, its dances and its underlying "old Copenhagen" atmosphere.