Barbara Hannigan returns to DR Koncerthuset to conduct DR Symfoniorkestret in an evening of orchestral music combining rarities and a world premiere, all centred on themes of love, dance and artistic connection.
The programme opens with Aaron Copland's Dance Symphony, a seldom-heard work that weaves together themes from his ballet music, drawing on the rhythmic energy of Stravinsky, the freedom of jazz and Copland's own distinctive blend of intimacy and grandeur.
At the heart of the concert is Beethoven's Symphony No. 4, which Hannigan interprets as a profoundly romantic work — four movements bound together by the pulse of a composer deeply in love with his pupil, Baroness Therese Malfatti. Hannigan has described the symphony as 'an absolute heartbreaker'.
The evening also features the world premiere of a new violin concerto by Danish composer Signe Lykke, written especially for DR Symfoniorkestret's concertmaster Christina Åstrand. The work grew out of a strong personal and musical bond the two artists discovered when they first met in 2022, and is driven by a spirit of improvisatory freedom.
Tickets are available through the DR Koncerthuset booking platform.
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Barbara Hannigan
Barbara Hannigan is described as an extraordinary and highly valued guest at DR Koncerthuset. She conducts DR Symfoniorkestret and is celebrated for her strong artistic personality and her deeply personal interpretations of orchestral repertoire, including Beethoven's Fourth Symphony, which she regards as 'an absolute heartbreaker'.
Christina Åstrand
Christina Åstrand is the concertmaster of DR Symfoniorkestret. She is the dedicatee and soloist of the world-premiere violin concerto by Signe Lykke, a work that grew from a strong personal and musical connection the two artists discovered when they first met in 2022.
Signe Lykke
Signe Lykke is a Danish composer whose new violin concerto receives its world premiere at this concert. Written for DR Symfoniorkestret's concertmaster Christina Åstrand, the work is driven by improvisatory freedom and was born from the two artists' close personal and musical relationship.
DR Symfoniorkestret
DR Symfoniorkestret is the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, resident at DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen. Over the past decade its traversal of Mahler's symphonies with chief conductor Fabio Luisi has produced some of the most memorable moments in the orchestra's history.
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