On April 24, 2025 the Danish National Symphony Orchestra presents the world premiere of the Violin Concerto by Thomas Agerfeldt Olesen, written for the internationally celebrated violinist Simone Lamsma. The performance will be conducted by Otto Tausk.
The work is co-commissioned by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and will receive its North American premiere in Vancouver later this year.
Agerfeldt Olesen describes the work as a continuation of a previous piano sonata that included an environmental text. While the sonata explored activist themes, the concerto moves in a different direction, distilling its expressive force into purely musical terms:
“The piano sonata is the experiment, but the violin concerto is the article in the scientific journal.”
The concerto was developed in close dialogue with Simone Lamsma. When the composer shared early sketches with her, she encouraged him to increase the technical demands. The result is a solo part of great virtuosity and dramatic range — a bold and uncompromising showcase for the instrument.
Agerfeldt Olesen’s concerto is the second in a trilogy of new works for violin and orchestra commissioned by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra from leading Danish composers. It follows Rune Glerup’s violin concerto 'Om Lys og Lethed' for Isabelle Faust — recipient of the 2024 Nordic Council Music Prize — and precedes a new work by Søren Nils Eichberg for Hilary Hahn, to be premiered in September.
Listen to the music of Thomas Agerfeldt Olesen:
