RDAM arranged the Summer Concert of the Royal Couple at Château de Cayx
The Royal Danish Academy of Music (RDAM) and Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) jointly presented a two part concert program. The first part consisted of key works from Danish and French music literature performed by students from RDAM, the second part being entirely Chinese consisted of present classical and contemporary Chinese pieces performed by Chinese musicians from CCOM.
The RDAM selected some of its best students for this concert. The works by two of the greatest French composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, was performed by the winners of the Academy's prestigious soloist competition in 2012 and 2013; violinist Niklas Walentin and pianist Marie-Luise Bodendorff. This was the first time they performed together.
To mark the Nordic heritage, we had chosen works for string quartet by two estimated Danish composers of the 20th century, Vagn Holmboe and Per Nørgård. Although Holmboe and Nørgård represent different generations and were teacher and student, Holmboe's 2nd string quartet and Nørgård's 1st have been written over a time span of only three years, around 1950. Both pieces have strong roots in the Nordic traditional music, but also inspired by composers such as Danish Carl Nielsen, Finnish Jean Sibelius and Hungarian Béla Bartók. The Doria String Quartet, who was performing these two pieces has a strong Nordic profile, as the four members are coming from four different Nordic countries.
Whereas the first part of the concert presented Western European classical music, the second half took us to the other side of the globe.
The colorful and exotic Chinese culture and tradition came to life, when professors from Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing presented a program of works from traditional as well as modern Chinese music culture. The most talented musicians of contemporary China performed classical solo and ensemble works on traditional Chinese instruments, dating back hundreds, or even thousands of years. The instruments bearing names as Guqin (Chinese Zither), Pipa (Chinese Lute), Yangqin (Chinese Dulcimer) and Sheng (Chinese Bamboo Flute) are basically made of very much the same materials as Western music instruments – wood and metal or gut strings.
However the sound and looks of the instruments and the music made for them are completely different from Western music, thus giving evidence of the strong and highly civilized culture from which they have sprung.
Please download the concert program at Château de Cayx, 22nd of August 2013.
Music Confucius Institute
In June 2012 a historical agreement on establishing the world's first Music Confucius Institute (MCI) was signed and celebrated at the Royal Danish Academy of Music (RDAM) in Copenhagen. This marked an initial culmination of the close and very promising co-operation between RDAM and the Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing, started in 2008 and as far as RDAM goes has lead to co-operation agreements with among others Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Music Confucius Institute is placed at RDAM and serves to expand the insight into Chinese music culture and to facilitate musical and cultural exchange and development between China and Denmark. MCIs purpose is to create synergy between the classical Western and Chinese music tradition as part of the future global music development.
Read more about Music Confucius Institute.
