It is particularly fitting that the closing concert of this year's Golden Days Festival takes place at the Workers' Museum, as the theme of this year's festival is indeed working life. On this occasion, the Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir presents an unusually versatile and exciting program that centers on the working people. The main piece is a forgotten work that is now being brought out of the archives after more than a century and will be presented by former Social Democratic minister and member of parliament, Mogens Jensen. This is a cantata, written in 1910 for one of the greatest workers' congresses of all time, held in Copenhagen, with the participation of some of history's most important socialist luminaries. The workers' songs of various countries were compiled and arranged with piano accompaniment into a cantata in two parts, culminating in the “Marseillaise” - with Danish lyrics - that everyone could sing along to. The work was performed at the Odd Fellow Palace by 500 worker singers from virtually all trades. It could just as well have been workers from Copenhagen's many markets, and it was the street vendors' calls that inspired Luciano Berio to the virtuosic and vocally experimental cycle “Cries of London” for eight-part mixed choir. The seven relatively short and concentrated movements evoke associations with such street cries, with short phrases about money, garlic, and rouge, in Berio's unique musical language. A more subdued and reflective crowd is encountered in Per Gunnar Petersson's newly composed work “The Prophet,” with texts from Kahlil Gibran's classic book of the same name. In Gibran's little book, the departing wise man, the “prophet” of the title, stands one last time in the town square and answers the townspeople one by one as they stand there and ask him about all sorts of topics, from the great themes of life to the small details of everyday life. The wise man then conveys the essence of these topics in short, lyrical, and image-rich sentences. Program: Luciano Berio (1925 - 2003): Cries of London Per Gunnar Petersson (b. 1954): Work with Love. (Text: Kahlil Gibran from The Prophet) Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971): Three pieces for clarinet solo A. C. Meyer (1858-1938)/ F. Hemme (1871 - 1961): CANTATA at the International Socialist Congress in Copenhagen 1910 Jørgen Jersild (1913-2004): De lyse Nætter (Text: Åge Berntsen) Per Gunnar Petersson: Aftonland (Text: Pär Lagerkvist) Performers: Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir Clarinet: Jonas Frølund Piano: Jakob Lorentzen Conductor: Mogens Dahl

German and Russian piano music is featured in the first concert of the autumn season, where yet another world-class pianist takes the stage. Canadian Marc-André Hamelin, who has had a long and impressive career with 11 Grammy nominations among his accolades, combines superior technique with an analytical approach and a deep sensitivity to the poetic elements of the works. Hamelin, who last visited Mogens Dahl Concert Hall in 2020, has made a special effort to spotlight lesser-known composers, which is evident in the evening's program, including two works by the Russian composer Nikolai Medtner—a movement in variation form and the captivating "Danza Festiva." Medtner was initially inspired by late Beethoven and was encouraged and supported by Rachmaninov, who became a lifelong friend. While Medtner early on gave up a career as a pianist in favor of composition, Rachmaninov continued to perform and tour as a highly regarded virtuoso until shortly before his death. Despite his extensive output for the piano, he composed only two sonatas, of which Hamelin will perform the second. Finally, Hamelin will also play one of Beethoven's early piano sonatas, No. 3 in C major, and Haydn's popular D-major sonata. Program: Joseph Haydn (1732–1809):Piano Sonata in D major, No. 50, Hob. XVI:37 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827):Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Opus 2, No. 3 Nikolai Medtner (1880–1951):Improvisation in B-flat minor(in variation form) Opus 31, No. 1Danza Festiva, Opus 38, No. 3 Sergei Rachmaninov (1873–1943):Etude-Tableau Opus 39, No. 5Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Opus 36 (1931) The café opens at 7:00 PM before each concert, where refreshments can be purchased and conveniently pre-ordered for the intermission. The concert hall doors open at 7:15 PM. Read more at Mogensdahl.dk Organizer: Mogens Dahl Concert Hall, Snorresgade 22, 2300 Copenhagen S

It will be a remarkable evening when one of Scandinavia’s most acclaimed and sought-after cellists, Andreas Brantelid, performs three of the most famous works in the solo cello repertoire. Few composers in the history of music have been as productive, innovative, and versatile as Johann Sebastian Bach. His immense output is characterized by an exceptionally high level, often reaching a complexity and musical expressiveness that has rarely been surpassed since. The six cello suites (three of which Brantelid will play) are not only a milestone in the repertoire (and in classical music as a whole), but they also present a continuous challenge for any ambitious cellist due to Bach's exploration of the instrument's possibilities. A Baroque suite typically consists of a series of dance movements, with Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue being the most common, often preceded by a Prelude and sometimes including a Menuet, Bourrée, or Gavotte before the concluding Gigue. Andreas Brantelid has received critical acclaim from reviewers around the world. He is also a highly active chamber musician, having performed with artists such as Gidon Kremer and Joshua Bell. Additionally, he tours with Norwegian pianist Christian Ihle Hadland and Austrian violinist Benjamin Schmid. Although Andreas Brantelid has performed at Mogens Dahl Concert Hall several times, we look forward to welcoming him for a solo program. Program: J. S. Bach (1685–1750):Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008 J. S. Bach:Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009 J. S. Bach:Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012 The café opens at 7:00 PM before each concert, where refreshments can be purchased and conveniently pre-ordered for the intermission. The concert hall doors open at 7:15 PM. Read more at Mogensdahl.dk Organizer: Mogens Dahl Concert Hall, Snorresgade 22, 2300 Copenhagen

After five years as Music Director for Copenhagen Phil, tenor Peter Lodahl has resumed his career as an opera and concert singer this spring. For this lieder evening, he has teamed up with the young and prominent pianist James Baillieu, with the main work being Schumann’s Dichterliebe. This cycle of 16 songs, with text by Heinrich Heine, was written in just 6 days in May 1840. It was perhaps the happiest and most productive year for Schumann. During this year, he wrote more than half of all his lieder. Dichterliebe, along with Schubert’s Winterreise and Die Schöne Müllerin, represents the core repertoire within the Romantic lieder tradition. The romance is another distinctly Romantic genre, where the originally literary expression of folk-like character in music in the 19th century became a lyrical subgenre of piano-accompanied strophic song. Danish composer Peter Heise became a prominent and innovative contributor to this genre with his increasingly refined melodies. Franz Liszt was an extremely prolific and versatile composer who also wrote several songs, including the Tre Sonetti del Petrarca with texts by the Italian poet. Piano-accompanied song also held a special place for Richard Strauss, and in this format, the composer demonstrates his exquisite sense for both melodies and tonal colors. Program: Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856):Dichterliebe Peter Heise (1830 – 1879):En RitornelsangerAften på LoggiaenSkovensomhed Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949):Die NachtDu meines Herzens Krönelein Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886):3 Sonetti del Petrarca The café opens at 7:00 PM before each concert, where refreshments can be purchased and conveniently pre-ordered for the intermission. The concert hall doors open at 7:15 PM. Read more at Mogensdahl.dk Organizer: Mogens Dahl Concert Hall, Snorresgade 22, 2300 Copenhagen S

Since the Reformation, All Saints' Day in Denmark has been a day of remembrance for the "ordinary deceased," that is, for those who have passed away without sainthood. For several years, this day of remembrance has also been marked with a concert by the Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir—this year as well, with the choir's former and current Composer in Residence at the center. In 2017, Sven-David Sandström composed three choral songs with texts by Rainer Maria Rilke, which will be performed at this concert, along with "A Seventeenth Century Nun’s Prayer" by the same composer, one of the last works Sandström wrote before his death in 2019. Rilke’s heartfelt and powerful texts describe the fragile human being in the face of nature, which is at once merciless and infinitely beautiful—especially in autumn, often used as a metaphor for the twilight phase of life, when the contours of a completed life begin to take shape. The current Composer in Residence, Per Gunnar Petersson, composed a beautiful, resonant setting of the same text that Sven-David Sandström used two years later, the humble prayer by an unknown author, now most commonly known as "A Seventeenth Century Nun’s Prayer." In the prayer, the unknown author expresses hope to endure adversity and loss in life’s autumn with a bright and positive spirit. Alongside these beautiful and intense modern choral works, pieces by a unique figure in Danish church music, the recently deceased Bernhard Lewkovitch, will also be performed. Throughout most of his long life as a composer, Lewkovitch wrote from a Catholic conviction. The relatively short "Requiem – In memoriam defunctorum" (Mass for the Dead) for choir and organ from 2012 is among the composer’s latest works and consists of texts selected from the traditional Latin texts, set to timeless, almost ascetic music. The work was composed for and premiered by the Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir. The concert begins with a true vocal heavyweight, namely the motet by J.S. Bach, "Komm, Jesu, komm." The motet, written for double choir, is the only one of Bach’s motets that does not have a biblical text as its basis. PROGRAM: J. S. Bach (1685–1750):Komm, Jesu, Komm (1732) Per Gunnar Petersson (b. 1954):An Anonymous Nun’s Prayer (2017) Sven-David Sandström (1942–2019):Drei Rilke Gesänge (2017) Bernhard Lewkovitch (1927–2024):Organ piece Bernhard Lewkovitch:Requiem – In memoriam defunctorum, for choir and organ (2012) Sven David Sandström:Seventeenth Century Nun’s Prayer (2019) Performers:Mogens Dahl Chamber ChoirOrgan: Jacob LorentzenConductor: Mogens Dahl

The meeting between the piano and string instruments is a time-honored combination that many composers from Mozart onwards have explored. At this concert, the experienced English string quartet Doric String Quartet has joined forces with the dynamic American pianist Jonathan Biss to perform a couple of the main works from the romantic repertoire within this genre. Robert Schumann's Piano Quintet from 1842 is among his most popular and enduring works, which is all the more impressive given that it was in this very year, 1842, that he first ventured into chamber music. Moreover, the Piano Quintet set a standard for many great composers who followed. Just as Schumann initially focused on his primary instrument, the piano, Johannes Brahms also gradually expanded his compositional focus beyond the familiar. His first two piano quartets mark a solid breakthrough in chamber music, particularly with the monumental, almost symphonic Piano Quartet No. 2, which is a true masterpiece. Beethoven's String Quartet No. 16 represents the culmination of his groundbreaking work in this genre and serves as a beautiful and fitting reminder that it was precisely two already well-established forms of expression (the string quartet and solo piano) that came together in the works mentioned above, which Doric String Quartet and Jonathan Biss will perform this evening. Program: Robert Schumann (1810–1856):Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Opus 44 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827):String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Opus 135 Johannes Brahms (1833–1897):Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Opus 26 The café opens at 7:00 PM before each concert, where refreshments can be purchased and conveniently pre-ordered for the intermission. The concert hall doors open at 7:15 PM. Read more at Mogensdahl.dk Organizer: Mogens Dahl Concert Hall, Snorresgade 22, 2300 Copenhagen S

Gain access to 5 chamber concerts at Mogens Dahl Concert Hall: Mon. 23 Sept. 8:00 PMMarc-André Hamelin (solo piano) Mon. 7 Oct. 8:00 PMAndreas Brantelid (solo cello) Tues. 22 Oct. 8:00 PMPeter Lodahl (tenor) & James Baillieu (piano) Mon. 18 Nov. 8:00 PMDoric String Quartet with Jonathan Biss (piano) Mon. 2 Dec. 8:00 PMThe Danish String Quartet Bring the ticket to all 5 concerts. The café opens at 7:00 PM before each concert, where refreshments can be purchased and conveniently pre-ordered for the intermission. The concert hall doors open at 7:15 PM. Read more at Mogensdahl.dk Organizer: Mogens Dahl Concert Hall, Snorresgade 22, 2300 Copenhagen S

The Danish String Quartet returns to Mogens Dahl Concert Hall with their sublime ensemble playing to close the autumn 2024 season. They will do so with a beautifully curated program that traces the line from Haydn's pioneering work for the string quartet, through Shostakovich, to the very young American composer Caroline Shaw, who opens the concert. Caroline Shaw, who is also a singer and violinist, is a very interesting figure in contemporary music. As a composer, she already has an extensive list of works for various ensembles. The piece "Entr’acte" for string quartet (originally for string orchestra) is an almost playful exploration of variations and playing techniques based on a relatively simple and sonorous opening theme. Out of Joseph Haydn's nearly 70 string quartets, The Danish String Quartet has chosen to play a single movement from one of the last two completed quartets: the beautiful Andante movement from Quartet Opus 77, No. 2. The Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich often had to navigate the opaque demands for "authentic Soviet" music, particularly during Stalin's era. Quartet No. 4 is a prime example of this. In the final movement, there is a clear inspiration from Jewish music, which led Shostakovich’s friends to advise him to postpone the premiere until after Stalin’s death. After the intermission, the concert takes on a different character, and The Danish String Quartet demonstrates their great versatility by playing a delightful mix of folk music and their own compositions. Program: Caroline Shaw (b. 1982):Entr’acte for string quartet (2011) Joseph Haydn (1732–1809):String Quartet in F major, Opus 77, No. 2, 3rd movement, Andante Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975):String Quartet No. 4 in D major, Opus 83 Folk music and original compositions The café opens at 7:00 PM before each concert, where refreshments can be purchased and conveniently pre-ordered for the intermission. The concert hall doors open at 7:15 PM. Read more at Mogensdahl.dk Organizer: Mogens Dahl Concert Hall, Snorresgade 22, 2300 Copenhagen S

Once again this year, Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir presents Handel's wonderful and timeless classic "Messiah" in collaboration with the outstanding English ensemble, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and four exceptional international soloists. For Mogens Dahl, the Chamber Choir, and the English elite orchestra, this has been a process over several years, where the participants have gradually drawn closer to each other and perhaps also to the essence of the work—as much as this is possible. The choice of the top-tier ensemble, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, was obvious, as this English orchestra has, since its inception in 1986, maintained a particular curiosity about approaching music in different and more open ways. Hence the name, which the orchestra adopted because they share the Enlightenment's persistent drive to explore and discover. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment performs on period instruments that match the era in which the works were composed, which is a significant way of striving for a more authentic expression. This is complemented by the Chamber Choir, which sings with a much smaller ensemble than is often seen—according to sources, there were only 32 singers in the choir at the first performance in Dublin in April 1742. Already during Handel's lifetime, the work was performed in different versions, depending on the circumstances and experiences with the initial performances. It is therefore almost impossible to know what the "authentic" performance of "Messiah" might have been. One must let the music speak—and that is exactly what Mogens Dahl, the Chamber Choir, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment do. Here, hopefully, one experiences an expression close to an authentic "Messiah." Performers: Mogens Dahl Chamber ChoirOrchestra of the Age of EnlightenmentConductor: Mogens Dahl Soloists: Soprano: Julia DoyleAlto: Keyleigh DeckerTenor: Robin TritschlerBass: Morgan Pearse

Once again this year, Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir presents Handel's wonderful and timeless classic "Messiah" in collaboration with the outstanding English ensemble, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and four exceptional international soloists. For Mogens Dahl, the Chamber Choir, and the English elite orchestra, this has been a process over several years, where the participants have gradually drawn closer to each other and perhaps also to the essence of the work—as much as this is possible. The choice of the top-tier ensemble, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, was obvious, as this English orchestra has, since its inception in 1986, maintained a particular curiosity about approaching music in different and more open ways. Hence the name, which the orchestra adopted because they share the Enlightenment's persistent drive to explore and discover. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment performs on period instruments that match the era in which the works were composed, which is a significant way of striving for a more authentic expression. This is complemented by the Chamber Choir, which sings with a much smaller ensemble than is often seen—according to sources, there were only 32 singers in the choir at the first performance in Dublin in April 1742. Already during Handel's lifetime, the work was performed in different versions, depending on the circumstances and experiences with the initial performances. It is therefore almost impossible to know what the "authentic" performance of "Messiah" might have been. One must let the music speak—and that is exactly what Mogens Dahl, the Chamber Choir, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment do. Here, hopefully, one experiences an expression close to an authentic "Messiah." Performers: Mogens Dahl Chamber ChoirOrchestra of the Age of EnlightenmentConductor: Mogens Dahl Soloists: Soprano: Julia DoyleAlto: Keyleigh DeckerTenor: Robin TritschlerBass: Morgan Pearse