Around the World in Eighty Pieces – #2 Denmark

Carl Nielsen sculpture by Anne-Marie Carl Nielsen

Welcome to my new series, Around the World in Eighty Pieces! I’m excited to combine my love of travelling and clarinet repertoire by sharing a clarinet composition I “discovered” in each country.

This series is not meant to be a comprehensive overview of the clarinet music from each country; rather, this is an appetizer to ignite your curiosity to learn more about the music, repertoire, and clarinet cultures of each place.

I love learning about other clarinet music from around the world, so please contact me or leave a comment with other pieces you would like to share.

I first travelled to Denmark for a few days before my residency in the Faroe Islands in 2021 (more on Faroese clarinet music in a future article in this series!)

Since then, I’ve been back to Denmark a few times (usually before or after subsequent trips to the Faroes), and it’s quickly become one of my favorite countries.

This should come as no surprise, since Denmark is consistently scored as one of the happiest countries in the world. I enjoy Denmark for the friendly people, delicious food (hello smørrebrød), and beautiful scenery, but it’s also home to one of clarinet history’s most famous compositions.

Which brings us to today’s installment of Around the World in Eighty Pieces.

Although there are several Danish clarinet compositions I enjoy, to me, the quintessential Danish clarinet work remains Carl Nielsen’s devilishly difficult Concerto, Op. 57, written for Danish clarinetist Aage Oxenvad in 1928.

This piece continues to challenge clarinetists today, almost 100 years since its composition. Visiting the home country of Nielsen allows me a glimpse into his life and music. (Denmark even hosts the Carl Nielsen International Competition, which you can learn more about here.) Nielsen’s Concerto also holds a special place in my heart because I was able to examine Nielsen’s original manuscript at the Det Kongelige Bibliotek (Royal Danish Library) back in 2021.

Researching this manuscript in Copenhagen was a surreal moment, and it was an incredible feeling to be able to touch the pages where Nielsen first wrote this (in)famous piece into existence.

Another fascinating bit of trivia I learned was how to pronounce Aage Oxenvad’s name. (spoiler alert – my pronunciation wasn’t even close)

Tourist tip: When you’re walking along the trendy Nyhavn Harbour, turn on Toldbodgade and have lunch at the Carl Nielsen restaurant, located in the home where Carl lived with his wife Anne Marie.

Carl Nielsen restaurant near Nyhavn Harbour

What was also interesting about visiting Copenhagen was learning about the wife of Carl Nielsen, who was a world-renowned sculptor. Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen’s sculptures were around Copenhagen and abroad – one of her works stands in front of Tórshavn City Hall in the Faroe Islands!

Sculpture by Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen outside Det Kongelige Bibliotek

Fun fact: “Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen was the first female sculptor in the world to be commissioned to create an equestrian statue of a king (pictured below) and bronze gates for a cathedral.” (Source)