Lars Ulrik Mortensen

Lars Ulrik Mortensen (born 1955) studied at The Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen (harpsichord with Karen Englund, figured bass with Jesper B?je Christensen) and with Trevor Pinnock in London. From 1988 to 1990 he was harpsichordist with London Baroque and until 1993 with Collegium Musicum 90 (leader: Simon Standage). He now works extensively as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe, the United States, Mexico, South America, Japan and Australia, performing regularly with such distinguished colleagues as Emma Kirkby, John Holloway and Jaap ter Linden.
Between 1996 and 1999 Lars Ulrik Mortensen was professor of harpsichord and performance practice at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, and he now teaches at numerous Early Music courses throughout the world. Until quite recently, Lars Ulrik Mortensen was also active as a conductor of “modern” orchestras in Sweden and Denmark, where especially his activities at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen – notably Kunzen’s “Holger Danske” in 2000 and Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” in 2003 – met with great critical acclaim. However, in 2003 he made the decision to work exclusively with period instrument ensembles. Since 1999, he has been artistic director of the Danish Baroque orchestra Concerto Copenhagen, and in 2004 he succeeded Roy Goodman as musical director of the European Union Baroque Orchestra (EUBO). In 2009 Concerto Copenhagen made its debut at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall performing Handel’s “Partenope”, as well as touring extensively in Europe. In 2014 the ensemble will perform Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen as well as continuing its touring activities all over the world.
Lars Ulrik Mortensen has recorded extensively for numerous labels including DGG-Archive, EMI and Kontrapunkt; his recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations was awarded the French “Diapason d’Or”. A series of Buxtehude recordings from the 1990s for the Danish Dacapo label has met with universal critical acclaim. The first complete recording of Buxtehude’s chamber music with John Holloway and Jaap ter Linden received the Danish Grammy Award for best classical recording of the year; another Grammy was awarded to a CD of Buxtehude cantatas with Emma Kirkby, and Lars Ulrik Mortensen became “Danish Musician of the Year 2000” for his three CDs with harpsichord music by Buxtehude. These recordings also received the Cannes Classical Award 2001. Other recordings include a series of violin sonatas by Schmelzer, Biber, Veracini and Leclair with John Holloway, Jaap ter Linden and Aloysia Assenbaum, released on the prestigious ECM label. Directing Concerto Copenhagen, Mortensen has recorded the complete harpsichord concertos by J. S. Bach for CPO, receiving lavish praise in the international press. Recent releases have included a CD with Bach Cantata arias with Anne-Sophie von Otter on DG, as well as symphonies and concertos by Danish composers Kunzen, Gerson and Palschau on CPO. 
Lars Ulrik Mortensen has received a number of prizes and distinctions, among them the Danish Music Critics’ Award in 1984. In 2007 he received Denmark’s most prestigious music award, The Léonie Sonning Music Prize, and in 2008 he was made a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.