Short bio Hans Abrahamsen
Full biography Hans Abrahamsen
Hans Abrahamsen is a Danish composer known for his innovative use of sound and unique musical style. He was born on December 23, 1952, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Initially, Abrahamsen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, where he learned composition, but then he felt that he needed to leave because he believed that the teaching at the Academy was too traditional. Abrahamsen made his breakthrough in the world of classical music with the song cycle "let me tell you," based on a novel by Paul Griffiths that tells Ophelia's story from Shakespeare's play "Hamlet." In 2016, he won the prestigious Grawemeyer Prize for Music Composition for his work.
Abrahamsen's style of composition has evolved over several decades, and he is known for his experimentation with sound, which has led to his frequent use of microtonality (small intervals between notes not found in the traditional Western scale). Some of his notable works include "Schnee" ("Snow"), which is a chamber music cycle composed of six movements, and "Walden," an orchestral work inspired by Henry David Thoreau's book of the same name.
Abrahamsen has been recognized for his contributions to music with numerous awards and honors, including the Carl Nielsen Prize, the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation Composer Prize, the Music in Europe and the European Composers Prize, among others. He has also been commissioned by a variety of esteemed institutions, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, and the London Symphony Orchestra, among others.
In summary, Hans Abrahamsen is a highly respected and innovative contemporary Danish composer whose work fuses a modernist sensibility with unique and experimental soundscapes. His compositions have received widespread critical acclaim, and his impact on the world of classical music has been profound and enduring.
Compositions featuring Hans Abrahamsen
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | For Arditti Quartet, for string quartet | 3:36 min | Chamber Music | 2014 |
| 2 | Let Me Tell You, for soprano & orchestra | 32:42 min | Vocal Music | 2013 |
| 3 | String Quartet No. 4 | 20:27 min | Chamber Music | 2012 |
| 4 | Liebeslied (Love Song), for ensemble | 3:05 min | Chamber Music | 2010 |
| 5 | String Quartet No. 3 | 11:24 min | Chamber Music | 2008 |
| 6 | Schnee, 10 canons for 9 instruments | 56:19 min | Chamber Music | 2006 |
| 7 | Air for accordion | 11:03 min | Chamber Music | 2006 |
| 8 | Little Nocturnes (3), for accordion & string quartet | 8:50 min | Chamber Music | 2005 |
| 9 | Concerto for piano & orchestra | 15:23 min | Concerto | 1999 |
| 10 | Four Pieces from Sechs kleine Klavierstücke, version for chamber orchestra (after Arnold Schoenberg's Op. 19) | 5:25 min | Orchestral | 1998 |
| 11 | Breaking, version for chamber orchestra (after Per Nørgård) | 5:13 min | Orchestral | 1992 |
| 12 | Befiehl du deine Wege, chorale for 15 instruments (after J.S. Bach's BWV 272) | 7:03 min | Chamber Music | 1991 |
| 13 | Piano Pieces (3), recomposed for 10 instruments (after Carl Nielsen's Op. 59) | 10:15 min | Chamber Music | 1990 |
| 14 | Sonata for solo cello | 11:17 min | Chamber Music | 1988 |
| 15 | Lied in Fall, for cello & 13 instruments | 14:17 min | Concerto | 1987 |
| 16 | Schneetänze (2), for recorders | 3:43 min | Chamber Music | 1985 |
| 17 | Märchenbilder, for chamber orchestra | 12:29 min | Orchestral | 1984 |
| 18 | Pieces (6) for violin, horn & piano | 15:12 min | Chamber Music | 1984 |
| 19 | Traumlieder, for piano trio | 15:50 min | Chamber Music | 1984 |
| 20 | Seven Studies for piano | 13:27 min | Keyboard | 1984 |
| 21 | Nacht und Trompeten, for orchestra | 10:21 min | Orchestral | 1981 |
| 22 | String Quartet No. 2 | 15:05 min | Chamber Music | 1981 |
| 23 | Winternacht, for chamber ensemble | 13:14 min | Chamber Music | 1978 |
| 24 | Walden, for wind quintet | 10:11 min | Chamber Music | 1978 |
| 25 | Canzone, for accordion | 6:53 min | Chamber Music | 1977 |
| 26 | Symphony | 13:48 min | Symphony | 1974 |
| 27 | Stratifications, for orchestra | 8:51 min | Orchestral | 1973 |
| 28 | Flowersongs, for 3 recorders | 10:28 min | Chamber Music | 1973 |
| 29 | Preludes (10), string quartet No. 1 | 20:07 min | Chamber Music | 1973 |
| 30 | Landskaber (Landscapes), for woodwind quintet | 7:22 min | Chamber Music | 1972 |
| 31 | Round and In-Between, for brass quintet | 9:53 min | Chamber Music | 1971 |
| 32 | Mit grønne underlag, for horn & organ | 13:25 min | Chamber Music | 1970 |
| 33 | Left, Alone, concerto for piano, left hand & orchestra | 17:11 min | Concerto | - |
| 34 | Windscape, for brass quintet | 12:09 min | Chamber Music | - |
Albums featuring Hans Abrahamsen
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Hans Abrahamsen, Barbara Hannigan, Rachael Wilson (4), Katarina Dalayman, Peter Rose (3), Cornelius Meister, Andreas Kriegenburg – The Snow Queen(Blu-ray, Stereo, Multichannel) | 2022 | Bayerische Staatsoper Recordings |
| 2 |  |
Hans Abrahamsen, Lapland Chamber Orchestra, John Storgårds – Schnee: 10 Canons For 9 Instruments | 2022 | Dacapo (4) |
| 3 |  |
Alexandre Tharaud, Hans Abrahamsen, Gérard Pesson, Oscar Strasnoy – Piano Concertos(CD, Album) | 2020 | Erato |
| 4 |  |
Hans Abrahamsen, Ensemble MidtVest – 10 Preludes; Six Pieces: Transcriptions Of Satie & Nielsen(CD, ) | 2017 | Dacapo (4) |
| 5 |  |
Hans Abrahamsen, Arditti String Quartet – String Quartets No. 1 - 4(CD, Album) | 2017 | Winter & Winter |
| 6 |  |
Frode Haltli - Bent Sørensen / Hans Abrahamsen – Air | 2016 | ECM Records |
| 7 |  |
Danish String Quartet, Thomas Adès / Per Nørgård / Hans Abrahamsen – Untitled(CD, Album) | 2016 | ECM Records |
| 8 |  |
Hans Abrahamsen, Barbara Hannigan – Let Me Tell You | 2016 | Winter & Winter |
| 9 |  |
Zählen Und Erzählen(CD, ) | 2014 | Winter & Winter |
| 10 |  |
Bent Sørensen, Per Nørgård, Hans Abrahamsen, Trio con Brio Copenhagen – Phantasmagoria - Danish Piano Trios(CD, Album) | 2013 | Dacapo (4) |
| 11 |  |
/ Walden / Wald /(CD, Album, Limited Edition) | 2013 | Winter & Winter |
| 12 |  |
Hans Abrahamsen - ensemble recherche – Schnee: Ten Canons For Nine Instruments(CD, Album) | 2009 | Winter & Winter |
| 13 |  |
Stratifications, Nacht Und Trompeten, Concerto For Piano And Orchestra, Recomposositions(CD, Album) | 2004 | Dacapo (4) |
| 14 |  |
Chamber Works(CD, Album) | 2001 | Dacapo (4) |
| 15 |  |
Hans Abrahamsen, Christopher Van Kampen, Elgar Howarth – Märchenbilder - Lied In Fall - Winternacht - Carl Nielsen: Three Piano Pieces(CD, Album, Stereo) | 1997 | Marco Polo |
| 16 |  |
Amalie Malling, Abrahamsen, Ruders, Nielsen, Pade – Seven Studies / 13 Preludes For Piano / Two Nocturnes / Florilegium(CD, ) | 1995 | Dacapo (4) |
| 17 |  |
Niels Wilhelm Gade, Hans Abrahamsen, Christian Frederick Emile Horneman, Per Nørgård, The Orchestra Of The Royal Academy Of Music, Aarhus, Ole Schmidt, Søren K. Hansen – Ossian Overture / Symphony / Gurre Suite / Twilight(CD, Album) | 1994 | Kontrapunkt |
| 18 |  |
Carl Nielsen, Vagn Holmboe, Per Nørgård, Hans Abrahamsen - The Scandinavian Wind Quintet – Wind Quintet Op. 43 • Notturno Op. 19 • Whirl's World • Walden(CD, Album) | 1994 | Marco Polo |
| 19 |  |
Hans Abrahamsen - Poul Ruders / The Kontra Quartet – String Quartets(CD, Album) | 1990 | Dacapo (4) |
| 20 |  |
Poul Ruders / Hans Abrahamsen - London Sinfonietta – Four Compositions / Winternacht, Walden | 1985 | Paula |
| 21 |  |
Hans Abrahamsen - Poul Ruders / The Kontra Quartet – String Quartets(LP) | 1984 | RCA Red Seal |
| 22 |  |
Winkel Holm, Johansen, Abrahamsen, Gudmundsen-Holmgreen – Tarantel / Ke-Tjak / Rundt Og Imellem / Genbrug(LP, Album) | 1980 | EMI |
| 23 |  |
Ole Buck / Hans Abrahamsen, Lena Bust Nielsen, Ingolf Olsen, Morten Zeuthen, Søren Barfoed, Henrik Svitzer – Sommertrio / 14 Præludier / Blomstersange / Double / Efterår(LP) | 1977 | Odeon |
Videos featuring Hans Abrahamsen
THE SNOW QUEEN: Trailer
Hans Abrahamsen's
THE SNOW QUEEN
Premiere: 21 December 2019
Conductor: Cornelius Meister
Production: Andreas Kriegenburg
Barbara Hannigan, Rachael Wilson, Peter Rose
Bayerisches Staatsorchester
____
Watch our free live stream of THE SNOW QUEEN on 28 Dece
THE SNOW QUEEN Preview
Hans Abrahamsen's
THE SNOW QUEEN
Premiere: 21 Demcember 2019
Conductor: Cornelius Meister
Production: Andreas Kriegenburg
with Barbara Hannigan, Peter Rose, Rachael Wilson
More info: https://www.staatsoper.de/en/productioninfo/the-snow-queen.html
Barbara Hannigan singt "Let me tell you" von Hans Abrahamsen
"Let me tell you" für Sopran und Orchester des dänischen Komponisten Hans Abrahamsen basiert auf Worten der Ophelia aus Shakespeares Hamlet. Das Werk ist der kanadischen Sopranistin Barbara Hannigan gewidmet, die es unter der Leitung von Andris Nelsons
THE SNOW QUEEN: Video magazine
Hans Abrahamsen's
THE SNOW QUEEN
Premiere: 21 December 2019
Conductor: Cornelius Meister
Production: Andreas Kriegenburg
Barbara Hannigan, Rachael Wilson, Peter Rose
Bayerisches Staatsorchester
____
Watch our free live stream of THE SNOW QUEEN on 28 Dece
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