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- Hans Abrahamsen
Double Concerto (2011)
- Edition Wilhelm Hansen Copenhagen (World)
Commissioned by The Royal Danish Orchestra and The Swedish Chamber Orchestra
- str ((6-6-4-4-2) The number of string players may be doubled: 12-12-8-8-4 If doubling of strings then Desk 1 means Desk 1+2, Desk 2 means 3+4 etc.
- vn,pf
- 22 min
- 23rd February 2025, Koerner Hall, Toronto, ON, Canada
Programme Note
Double Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings (composed 2010-11, premiered October 9. 2011)
Movements:
1. Sehr langsahm und ausdrucksvoll
2. Schnell und unruhig
3. Langsam und melancholisch
4. Lebhaft und Zittern
Intensity and poetic moments are important parameters in the music of Hans Abrahamsen. In the composer’s own words: ”Intensity is important to me. But not all moments are equally filled up – sometimes you say more, the less you say.” Abrahamsen’s music is destilled and poetic. The cliché ”Less is More” makes sense when listening to his music. Intensity can be the absence of sound or the presence of quiet.
In connection with a performance of the Double Concerto by the Danish Royal Orchestra, Katarina Egsgaard quoted interviewed the composer: ”It is a very different situation having two soloists instead of one, going from a solo concerto to a double concerto. What is the relationship between the two soloists and the orchestra? Now and then they appear as two different individuals relating to each other, but they can also play in unison and thus become a two-headed creature.”
Hans Abrahamsen’s Double Concerto never appears difficult or overly virtuosic. On the contrary every movement is a short, characteristic moment, a mood, stretched in time.
Movements:
1. Sehr langsahm und ausdrucksvoll
2. Schnell und unruhig
3. Langsam und melancholisch
4. Lebhaft und Zittern
Intensity and poetic moments are important parameters in the music of Hans Abrahamsen. In the composer’s own words: ”Intensity is important to me. But not all moments are equally filled up – sometimes you say more, the less you say.” Abrahamsen’s music is destilled and poetic. The cliché ”Less is More” makes sense when listening to his music. Intensity can be the absence of sound or the presence of quiet.
In connection with a performance of the Double Concerto by the Danish Royal Orchestra, Katarina Egsgaard quoted interviewed the composer: ”It is a very different situation having two soloists instead of one, going from a solo concerto to a double concerto. What is the relationship between the two soloists and the orchestra? Now and then they appear as two different individuals relating to each other, but they can also play in unison and thus become a two-headed creature.”
Hans Abrahamsen’s Double Concerto never appears difficult or overly virtuosic. On the contrary every movement is a short, characteristic moment, a mood, stretched in time.
Scores
Score preview