The Frobenius Prize

I am indeed happy - and proud - to announce that the Frobenius Foundation has awarded me its Prize of honour, 250.000 Dkr. Up to now the Prize has been awarded only once, in 2015. The substantiation does not specifically focus on my work as a composer, but underlines "extraordinary importance and lasting effect on Danish musical culture". Thus I am particularly happy that my widespread activities as a writer, intermediator and organiser are considered part of my creative work.

Den store Frobenius Pris

Jeg er glad for - og også stolt af - at kunne meddele at Frobenius Fonden har tildelt mig deres store hæderspris på 250.000 kr. Prisen er kun uddelt én gang tidligere, i 2015. I begrundelsen angives ikke primært min kompositoriske indsats, men at jeg har "gjort en særlig indsats for dansk musikkultur og sat varige aftryk." Det glæder mig ikke mindst at mine omfattende aktiviteter som forfatter, formidler og organisator på den måde anerkendes på linje med mit rent kunstneriske arbejde.  

LAUDATIO til Reformationen

 Bestilt af DR til symfoniorkestret og Radiokoret med henblik på en koncert 31.10. har jeg skrevet et Laudatio til fejringen af de 500-år siden Luther slog sine 95 teser op på porten til slotskirken i Wittenberg. Få eller ingen enkeltbegivenheder har haft en så omvæltende og så varig virkning på den vestlige kultur.
Værket uropføres af den unge britiske dirigent Jaimie Phillips ved en koncert der også indeholder musik som forspillet til Wagner sidste opera Parsifal og dele af Bach's h-mol messe. Koncerten udsendes direkte på Danmarks Radio - og Dronning Margrethe er blandt de inviterede.

LAUDATIO for the Reformation

Commissioned by the Danish National Orchestra and the Radio Choir for a concert on the 31st of October I have written a Laudatio to commemorate the 500 years since Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Few single events in history have had such tremendous and lasting effects on Western culture.
The pieece will be first performed conducted by the young Briton Jamie Phillips on a concert which also contains music such as the Prelude to Wagners Parsifal and parts of Bach's Mass in b-minor. The concert can be heard live on Danish Radio - and in the audience will be our Queen.

Athelas' fødselsdagskoncert

Alder kan forekomme irrelevant, men at Athelas havde valgt at markere min kommende 70'års fødselsdag med en koncert indeholdende tre af mine hovedværker formidabelt spillet med Giordano Bellincampi på podiet og Anne Søe som solist i min violinkoncert, vil blive stående som en strålende oplyst piazza på min Memory Lane. Fire af mine nære kolleger havde desuden hver komponeret en kort sats for 15 instrumenter som en kærlig kommentar til min musikalske udtryksform, Anders Brødsgaard, Svend Hvidtfelt Nielsen, John Frandsen og Simon Steen-Andersen.
I sandhed A Night to Remember!

Athelas' Birthday Concert

Age may seem irrelevant, but Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen chose to celebrate my upcoming 70 years birthday with a concert on Sunday 15.10. which will remain an illuminated piazza on my Memory Lane. Three of my main works magnificently played with Giaordano Bellincampi on the podium and with Anne Søe as soloist in my violin concerto. And four admired collegues had written small pieces for 15 instruments lovingly commenting on my way of musical expression - John Frandsen, Anders Brødsgaard, Svend Hvidtfelt Nielsen og Simon Steen-Andersen.
A Night to Remember indeed!

Baroque Birds

The Italian composer Ottorino Respighi was a connaisseur of bird song as well as of baroque music. In 1928 he created a suite for orchestra build on movements by baroque composers imitating bird song. Under the headline “Baroque Birds” Concerto Copenhagen on the 4th of September at 8 PM presents a concert in the Garnisons Church, Copenhagen, featuring the fascination of birds in the baroque period. It will include the prima assoluta of the version I have made for the ensemble of Respighi's “Gli Uccelli” - The Birds.