Copenhagen Brass – Historic Brass Music

Copenhagen Brass
Conductor: Mogens Andresen

Copenhagen Brass has been active since 2001, giving concerts in Denmark and abroad. The ensemble is conducted by Professor Emeritus Mogens Andresen, a celebrated figure in Danish brass circles — as conductor, trombonist, arranger and composer.

This evening’s programme features a selection of Danish composers and some of their best-known works, alongside a historic Double Concerto for two trumpets by Thorvald Hansen. Hansen was a trumpeter in the Tivoli Philharmonic Orchestra and later a member of the Royal Danish Orchestra until his death in 1915. Regarded as perhaps the leading brass player in Scandinavia at the time, he also served as deputy organist at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, played viola in Tivoli’s Symphony Orchestra, worked as a conductor, and taught at the conservatoire. In addition, he composed numerous works for cornet and trumpet.

In his Suite Eremitage, Hansen evokes one of the grand festive occasions once held at the Hermitage Palace in Jægersborg Dyrehave. The opening movement depicts the Count’s arrival at the celebration and includes quotations from the melodies På Sjølunds fagre sletter and Midsommervisen.

The concert opens with music by Carl Nielsen, written for Adam Oehlenschläger’s stage play Aladdin, telling the tale of the poor boy in the city of Isfahan. Later, we travel to Madrid to experience the night through the music of Luigi Boccherini, with Mogens Andresen as our guide. The programme also includes music illustrating the long journey from a dancer’s very first steps to the most demanding virtuoso exercises.

The concert concludes with music by the iconic Tivoli Gardens composer-in-residence H. C. Lumbye.