Victor Bendix (1851–1926) was a complex figure in Danish music, central but at the same time an outsider. Despite being a highly respected composer, pianist and conductor, he never quite received the recognition he dreamt of. Two of his key works are his Symphonies 1 & 3: they stand as high points in his life, as well as constituting a poignant narrative of his artistic fate. Symphony No. 1, Ascension is his hopeful, ambitious debut, while the melancholic Symphony No. 3 is marked by resignation and fatalism.