1968

Overview

Thomas Koppel is Danish, born in Sweden in 1944 as a refugee from Nazi persecution. He now resides in Los Angeles with his wife, legendary singer Annisette, and his youngest daughter Naja, a talented young singer and songwriter.

Thomas Koppel is unique in having created important works in almost every musical genre, many of which remarkable international success. He has been awarded many prestigious awards, including the Carl Nielsen Award, Grammy, Film Academy Award, Lifetime Honorary Award of the Danish State, H. C. Lumbye Award, etc.

Early Creativity

Thomas Koppel is the oldest son of famous Danish composer/concert pianist Herman D. Koppel. He is one out of four brothers and sisters - all respected contributors to Danish musical life. From about the time he could walk, Thomas wrote music, influenced by a. o. Bartok, Strawinsky, Carl Nielsen, jazz, popular music, and world music.

As a composer, Thomas Koppel learned by listening, studying, playing and writing. He played outside with the other kids of the neighborhood; yet music was already an indispensable part of his very existence. Music and art were everywhere around him: Progressive Danish painters and writers were frequent guests of the family. '78 records with everything from Prokofiew to Billie Holiday, Roumanian gypsy music to Javanese gamelans were a treasury of discoveries.

Likewise, Thomas spent much time studying his father's many pocket scores with classical and modern music. He was an insatiable reader of books from Tarzan to Shakespeare to Brendan Behan, James Joyce. He wrote poems since he could write. When he was eight one poem was read on national radio by famous Danish actor Osvald Helmuth.

Young Opera Triumph

Thomas Koppel 's Hans Christian Andersen opera 'A MOTHER'S TALE', written at the age of 18, became a sensation for it's dramatic power and professionalism, vocal knowledge, and sophisticated orchestration. A MOTHER'S TALE was performed by THE ROYAL OPERA for two consecutive seasons.

Following the opera success Thomas Koppel was awarded the prestigious Carl Nielsen Award as the youngest composer ever.

Symphonic Explosion

During his teens and earliest twenties Thomas Koppel's musical compositions developed into larger, important orchestral works, performed by major orchestras and soloists. Among these works are 'Phrases', a cantata for singers and orchestra; 'Visions Fugitives' for piano and orchestra; and 'Ouverture Solennelle' for orchestra, awarded 1st prize in the International Composers' Competition of the City of Copenhagen at the 800 Year Anniversary.

His musical language was lauded for its uniqueness, richness of color, astonishing maturity, strong sensuality and emotion.

At the age of just 21, Thomas Koppel completed his education as a classical pianist at the Royal Danish Music Conservatory with the Soloist Degree and Soloist Diploma - and initiated a career as a piano soloist. However, this was the sixties and he couldn't resist the challenge from the Youth Revolt. He dived into the international cultural and political revolution.

The Savage Rose

In '68 Thomas Koppel, together with his brother Anders, created The Savage Rose, which with its unique art rock/R&B approach, with classical undercurrents, and legendary singer Annisette (who later became TK's wife), immediately changed the face of popular music in Scandinavia. The precipitated energy and ambitious outlook of the group created waves reaching as far as Rolling Stone Magazine, Creem and other important music magazines of the era, and produced rave reviews by legendary critics like Lester Bangs and Ed Ward.

Working With Legends

The Savage Rose was more than just a band; its wide musical outlook and never-ending curiosity made a steady flow of cooperation with some of the world's greatest musicians inevitable. Legends like Ben Webster (known from his recordings with Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington), Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen (Oscar Petterson), The Stars Of Faith gospel group, Ricky Lawson (Michael Jackson), Kevin Ricard (Stevie Wonder), Gerald Albright, George Duke, Federico Ramos, and many others have all contributed to The Savage Rose legacy.

The Savage Rose has maintained their position as one of Scandinavia's most important music projects ever - a role the Savage Rose has maintained throughout several decades - documented by two Grammies and up to triple platinum records just to mention the most recent years.

David Fricke, senior editor of Rolling Stone Magazine October 2002 wrote emotional liner notes for The Savage Rose: The Anthology.

New Symphonic Success

Around 1991 TK 'refound' the symphony orchestra in an evolving attempt to bridge the gaps and contradicions of contemporary music, which has made several of his classical works into hits on CD and on concerts alike.

Among his international CD releases is 'Moonchild's Dream', RCA, with Michala Petri and The English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Okku Kamu.

Thomas Koppel's 2nd Symphony, commissioned by the Tivoli Gardens for the National Concert Commemorating the Liberation of Denmark from Nazi Occupation May 4, 1945, was nominated for the extremely prestigious Grand Award of The Nordic Council (1995-'96).

As it is the case in 2nd Symphony, Thomas Koppel has, in a stirring and very powerful way, utilized the unique versatility and artistic power of his legendary wife Annisette in all genres, including the big symphony orchestra.

Thomas Koppel's 'Los Angeles Street' Concerto, commissioned by the Danish State and Linda & Robert Attiyeh (of the board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra) had its first performance in New York. It is a moving and humorous musical interpretation of a rough street of a huge American 3rd world city, demanding dizzying virtuosity and expressivity from the tiny sopranino flute of recorder legend Michala Petri as well as eleven string instruments and celesta.

Film Scores - Academy Award

Thomas Koppel has scored numerous Scandinavian and US movies. Among these are the sensational Sundance debut of Marc Forster (Monster's Ball), 'Everything Put Together' (1999-2000); Leo Age's psychological California-thriller 'Wild Turkey' (2002); Roy Burdine's 'Lud'; Danish 'Happiness Is A Strange Fish' which triggered a Danish Film Academy Award for Best Score and Song; thriller classic '19 Red Roses'; and numerous other European films.

Ballet Triumph

With The Savage Rose Thomas Koppel has created 20 albums, and also music for film, ballet, and theatre. The ballet 'Triumph Of Death', created in cooperation with famous dancer and choreographer Flemming Flindt, became the biggest success ever of The Royal Ballet - a sell-out over 30 years now, with performances as far as at the The Metropolitan in New York. With more than 250,000 sold, The CD is one of the biggest selling mostly instrumental records ever in Scandinavia. The theme song has newly been re-released in the US by Rhino Records.

The Music Dramas

The haunting techno/classical horror 'requiem' and music drama: Mass For A Case, is based on Franz Kafka's spine-chilling story Metamorphosis. This work was created in cooperation with Flemming Flindt and legendary architect Daniel Liebeskind

The controversial, deeply moving modern music tragedy/comedy Bella Vita is based on Annisette's script and with her in the title role. The work, with its groundbreaking, new approach to the genres of music drama and musical, and its diverse list of characters from homeless children to murderous drug
kingpins, started the greatest turmoil in Danish theatre for several decades. You can read more on this on this site. Thomas Koppel has written stage music for classic and modern drama, among which
Shakespeare's 'King Lear' (The Danish Theatre), 'Troilus And Cressida' (The Royal Theatre), 'A Midsummernight's Dream' (New Scala), and several modern plays among which the huge 'Ballad Of Vesterbro' (Fiol Theatre).

Sports Music

Thomas Koppel has cooperated with the sports world. He wrote 'The Emperor's New Clothes' - a 40 minute ice skating ballet for the Gala Performances of the European Figure Skating Championships 1985 based on Hans Christian Andersen's famous story.

1994 Thomas wrote the highly unusual Danish Soccer Anthem commissioned by the National Soccer Association. The song has been a classic ever since and is still present on most soccer song compilations.

Enhancing Projects

Even more so now than ever before, Thomas Koppel is an creative powerhouse, mastering all musical genres from hit ballads, trip-hop, R&B, to spine-chilling film music, to music drama and huge symphonic scores and succesful film music. He is an seasoned producer and studio engineer of several Grammy-and-Platinum-awarded records. He enhances and brings magic and depth to any project he chooses to join.

Living Music

Together with his wife, singer/songwriter Annisette, Koppel is highly respected as a passionate and courageous fighter for peace, human rights, social justice; and is regularly found performing in refugee camps, at picket-lines, in prisons, even under dangerous conditions.

As a couple, inseparable, with their long-lasting and youthful love for each-other, for their audience, and humanity in general; and with their playful, explosive creativity with a timeless range from classical tradition to R&B or triphop, and their vast musical output, Annisette and Thomas Koppel have become a legend, albeit a very much alive one, throughout the world.