Hans Abrahamsen wins the Music Composition Prize 2024 of the Prince Pierre of Monaco Foundation for his orchestral work Vers le silence.
Vers le silence was written during the COVID-19 lockdown and is the last work in a series of three, following Left, alone for lefthanded piano and orchestra from 2015 and Concerto for Horn and Orchestra from 2019.
It was commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, NTR ZaterdagMatinee and The Royal Danish Orchestra.
Wishing to support and encourage musical creation, the Prince Pierre of Monaco Foundation has awarded, since 1960, the Music Composition Prize to a composer for a recent musical work. The Prize is triennial and endowed with a sum of 75,000 €, which is intended to promote artistic creation through the production of a new work.
Hans Abrahamsen says:
I am deeply honored to receive this award. What makes the Prince Pierre de Monaco's music prize particularly special is that the jury consists of composers, which makes this recognition from my fellow composers especially meaningful to me. The Principality has been a vital supporter of the arts for many years and established this prize in collaboration with the legendary composer and pedagogue Nadia Boulanger in the 1960s. For me, it is also particularly beautiful that there is a Danish connection through my teacher, Per Nørgård, who was a student of Boulanger, and Vagn Holmboe, who also served on the prize jury for many years. This historical connection makes the award even more special to me.
Loui Törnqvist, Managing Director of Edition Wilhelm Hansen says:
Hans Abrahamsen is already one of the most internationally recognized composers of our time, but this Prize adds a new dimension to his impressive career. It is a great recognition of his enduring influence on modern classical music. Vers le silence is a deeply engaging, personal work, that demonstrates his ability to create music that touches, renews and resonates internationally. This award is a great honor for both Hans and the Danish music.
Let's celebrate by digging into Hans Abrahamsen's music
The Wise Music catalogue was well represented at this year Music Composition Prize.
Rune Glerup, Maja S.K. Ratkje, Kaija Saariaho, Rebecca Saunders, Bent Sørensen, Outi Tarkiainen, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Christian Wolff were amongst this year's nominees.
Read more here.
