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Last month I had the privilege of performing Astor Piazzollas Concierto para Bandoneon with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. A phenomenal group of musicians conducted by maestro Tomas Brauner. The concert was broadcasted live on Czech Radio and included an exciting programme of seldom heard orchestral masterworks by Shostakovich, Khatchaturian, Schulhoff and Piazzolla. The concert took place in the legendary Smetana Hall – Municipal House in the heart of Prague. If you get the chance don’t hesitate; go and hear this wonderful orchestra.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Radio_Symphony_Orchestra

Back in 2013 the hurricane named ‘Bodil’ was preventing the 100th anniversary concert of the Danish Composers Society from taking place and thereby postponing the premiere of Christian Winther Christensens double concerto for accordion and cello ‘Chromatische Weltmusik’ with the Danish Radio Orchestra. Cellist Toke Møldrup and I was therefore going to Innsbruck a year later to give this wonderful piece its first perfomance together with the Tiroler Symphony Orchestra and conductor Francesco Angelico at the Klangspuren Festival for contemporary music.

Luckily for Toke and I The Danish Radio Orchestra decided to programme this work during this season and the Danish Premiere will take place in the Royal Academy of Music together with conductor Brad Lubmann. The programme will also feature works by Martin Stauning and Poul Ruders a.o.

read the full programme for Pulsar Festial 2016  here

Picture from the dress rehearsal just before the storm broke loose and prevented the concert from taking place. The rehearsal was recorded and lead by Thomas Søndergaard which later earned the composer Christian Winther Christensen a 3rd prize at the International Rostrum of Composers.

Together with my ‘partners in crime’, the quartet Kottos, I will be premiering a new opera by composer John Frandsen entitled ‘Martyriet'(Martyrdom) describing the last days of Kaj Munk (1898-1944) the Danish writer, resistance fighter and  priest. Scored for a quartet of accordion, bouzouki, recorder and cello where the two soloparts will be sung by rising star countertenor Morten Grove and the norwegian Soprano Liv Odveig Midtmageli. The premiere will take place at Takkelloftet, The Royal Danish Opera the 28th of January with app. 10 performances in total in february 2017. Composer John Frandsen was recently awarded with the prestigious Carl Nielsen composers prize 2016 and received great acclaim not least for his Requiem(2013) written for The Danish Radio Orchestra.

John Frandsen

photo by Marie Louise Munkegaard

www.kottos.dk

www.johnfrandsen.eu

The 3 major danish news papers kindly noticed my 30th year anniversary last month. The posted articles is from Jyllandsposten, Berlingske & Politiken.

article in Danish here

Article in Danish here

Happy New Year!

In september I had the great pleasuse to perform some of my favourite chamber music pieces together with some of the finest ensembles and musicians out there:

Trio con Brio, Apollon Musagete Quartet, Thorleif Theeden a.o.

music by Poul Ruders, Sofia Gubaidulina, Astor Piazzolla, Niels Viggo Bentzon a.0.

http://www.ccmf.dk

Photo from opening concert

From left: Soo-Jin Hong, Bartoscz Zachlod, Bjarke Mogensen, Torleif Thedéen

After a succesful world premiere of Sunleif Rasmussens ‘En Drøm’ at Nordic Music Days, Kottos Ensemble did a late-night session among the statues of The Kings’ Lapidarium.

Photo by Svend Ravnkilde

“This release will convert the sceptic to contemporary classical music” – Thomas Michelsen Politiken, 11.08.15

Read the full review in danish here

Order album online on:

Gateway Music – Record Label

Itunes (digital sale)

Danacord record store – Cph  (physical sale)

Through the past 7 years I have been collaborating regularly with composer Martin Lohse on a series of works which has now been recorded for a solo album released on both Vinyl and cd. The release concert will be the 11th of august and will be held in the new “black-box” auditorium of The Royal Academy of Music being the first concert to take place in this brand new venue.

Listen to Passing I on soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/bjarke-mogensen-accordion/passing-i-martin-lohse

In the coming months I will be performing my own transcriptions of two Carl Nielsen symphonic favourites together with The Danish Chamberplayers aka. Storstrøms Kammerensemble. The hymn-like and atmospheric piece Saga Dream together with the powerful Helios Overture from 1903. The programme will also include some of Nielsens most important musical ‘children/grand-children’ such as Vagn Holmboe and Per Nørgård. Looking very much forward!