Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832)

Friedrich Kuhlau was a German-Danish composer, who was mostly known internationally for his chamber music works, but in Denmark he was famous for his music for the play Elverhøj by Johan Ludvig Heiberg. After receiving music lessons in piano, flute, violin and cello in Hamburg, Kuhlau moved to Copenhagen in 1810 where he had his first concert at the Royal Danish Theatre. In 1813 Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger visited Kuhlau and got him to compose the music for Røverborgen, which led him to experiment with the opera genre. In 1822 he composed his main work, the opera Lulu, and in 1828 the dramatic composition Elverhøj.