6. Sinfoniekonzert

In the organizer's words:

FRIEDRICH KUHLAU

Overture to the play Elverhøj

CARL NIELSEN

Concerto for flute and orchestra

JEAN SIBELIUS

Symphony No. 2 in D major op. 43

They are the great symphonists of Northern Europe: the Dane Carl Nielsen and the Finn Jean Sibelius. Both were born in 1865 and found their very own modern musical language outside of the major schools and trends. Sibelius was particularly inspired by Finnish nature and mythology. His impressive Symphony No. 2 combines all the advantages of his compositional style: power, serious pathos, closeness to nature and, once again, his ability to turn small motifs into gripping musical images. As an effective contrast to this, Carl Nielsen's Flute Concerto, composed in 1926, is almost entirely permeated by a cheerful, idyllic mood and airy transparency.

Friedrich Kuhlau is known in Germany - although he was born and grew up here - at best as a composer of pleasing piano sonatas. In Denmark, on the other hand, he is regarded as the pioneer of Danish national romanticism. Fleeing from military service, he arrived in the country as a young man, where his incidental music to the drama Elverhøj ( The Fairy Hill), premiered in 1828, has brought him lasting success to this day. With his recourse to Danish folklore, old folk songs and melodies, Kuhlau brought the "Nordic" sound into art music for the first time and was an important source of inspiration for the Danish composers Nils Gade and Emil Hartmann, who ultimately continued his principle to international prominence.