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Walter Meyer-Radon was a German-born conductor and composer. At the beginning of his musical career, he travelled as a pianist and conductor in Europe and America. From 1925 to 1930 he was conductor of the Koncerthusstiftelsens Orkester (Concert Orchestra Foundation) in Malmö and from 1926 to 1942 of the Sydsvenska filharmoniska föreningen there. During this time he was also conductor at the Malmö Opera.
In 1930, Walter Meyer-Radon moved to Copenhagen and in 1932 became Conductor of the Copenhagen Academy Orchestra. It would prove to be a fruitful partnership for 30 years. In the first major concert on February 27, 1932 critics noted that the orchestra had made a great progress and had grown in number to about 70 people - including a large number of young ladies. From January 1935 he was also Conductor of the newly reformed Copenhagen Academy Choir. Under his direction the choir performed on March 6, 1946 for the first time, George Frideric Handel's Messiah at a concert in Copenhagen Cathedral . It was sung in Danish. Ever since, the choir has included Messiah in December (apart from a single detour in 1951 to J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248)), and it was not until 1964 that the English text was used. In 1949, to mark its 50th anniversary, the choir sang a concert in the cathedral with J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244). |
