Nielsen’s Treasures and the Genius of Brahms and Kodály

Nordby Church, Fanø. Wednesday 12th August 2026 at 7.30 pm

SINGLE TICKETS

All-inclusive Festival Ticket KR. 700,-

Nielsen’s Treasures and the Genius of Brahms and Kodály

Ludolf Nielsen (1876–1939): String Quartet No. 1, Op. 1
I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante espressivo
III. Scherzo: Allegro molto
IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco

Zoltán Kodály (1882–1967): Serenade for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 12
I. Allegramente
II. Lento, ma non troppo
III. Vivo

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897): Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano in E-flat major, Op. 40
I. Andante
II. Scherzo: Allegro
III. Adagio mesto
IV. Finale: Allegro con brio

Sini Simonen, violin · Juliette Roos, violin · Michel Camille, viola · Pau Codina, cello · Joke Wijma, horn · Valdemar Wenzel Most,

Nielsen’s Treasures and the Genius of Brahms and Kodály

The twelfth concert of Fanø Festival 2026, Nielsen’s Treasures and the Genius of Brahms and Kodály, brings together an outstanding international ensemble of musicians drawn from some of Europe’s leading chamber music traditions. Violinists Sini Simonen and Juliette Roos, violist Michel Camille, cellist Pau Codina, horn player Joke Wijma, and pianist Valdemar Wenzel Most join forces in a programme that explores musical identity, tradition, and innovation across Danish, Hungarian, and German musical cultures.

The evening opens with Ludolf Nielsen’s String Quartet No. 1, Op. 1, a remarkable early work by a composer who was once regarded as one of Denmark’s greatest symphonic talents. During his lifetime, Nielsen was admired for the ambition and craftsmanship of his music, yet much of his output has remained unjustly neglected. His First String Quartet already reveals a composer of considerable imagination and confidence, combining Nordic lyricism with the rich harmonic language of late Romanticism. The work stands as a fascinating reminder of a period when Danish music sought its own voice alongside the great musical traditions of Germany and Central Europe. Few works illustrate the spirit of Nielsen’s Treasures and the Genius of Brahms and Kodály more clearly than this powerful and rarely heard quartet.

The programme then turns to Zoltán Kodály’s Serenade for Two Violins and Viola, one of the Hungarian composer’s most inventive chamber works. Written in 1919, shortly after the upheavals of the First World War, the Serenade combines folk-inspired vitality with sophisticated craftsmanship. Kodály’s lifelong fascination with Hungarian folk music profoundly shaped his musical language. Together with Béla Bartók, he travelled throughout rural Hungary collecting and preserving traditional songs, discoveries that transformed the course of twentieth-century music. In the Serenade, echoes of folk melodies and dance rhythms are woven into a highly individual and expressive musical tapestry. At the heart of Nielsen’s Treasures and the Genius of Brahms and Kodály lies this celebration of national identity transformed into music of universal appeal.

The concert concludes with Johannes Brahms’s Horn Trio in E-flat major, Op. 40, one of the composer’s most personal and beloved chamber works. Written in 1865 following the death of his mother, the trio balances moments of deep reflection with passages of radiant warmth and joy. Rather than using the modern valved horn, Brahms originally conceived the work for the natural horn, whose distinctive colour evoked memories of the countryside, distant hunting calls, and the sounds of his youth.

The Horn Trio occupies a unique place within Brahms’s chamber music. The unusual combination of violin, horn, and piano creates a sound world unlike any other in the repertoire. Throughout the work, expansive lyrical melodies alternate with passages of intimacy and tenderness. The slow movement, often regarded as one of Brahms’s most moving tributes to his mother, is followed by a spirited finale that transforms grief into affirmation and celebration.

At the centre of this concert is the idea of musical heritage. Ludolf Nielsen sought to create a distinctly Danish voice within the European tradition. Kodály drew inspiration from the folk music of Hungary while forging a modern musical language. Brahms, deeply rooted in the German Romantic tradition, transformed personal experience into music of universal emotional power. Together, these works reveal how composers across Europe drew upon local traditions, memories, and cultural identity to create music that continues to resonate far beyond national borders.

Presented in the beautiful surroundings of Nordby Church on Fanø, Nielsen’s Treasures and the Genius of Brahms and Kodály offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience a gathering of internationally acclaimed artists in a programme rich in colour, character, and emotional depth. From Danish Romanticism and Hungarian folk-inspired vitality to the timeless humanity of Brahms, the evening promises an unforgettable journey through some of the most compelling chamber music of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Venue: Nordby Church, Fanø