Mig og Carl Nielsen

Magdalena Zięba-Schwind: »Carl Nielsen – Between Heaven and Earth«

Kristoffer Møllegaard. © Kristoffer Møllegaard

Instruktør Magdalena Zięba-Schwinds nye dokumentar Carl Nielsen – Between Heaven and Earth, en mestendels engelsksproget film om selveste Danmarks nationalkomponist, er et yderst kompetent stykke håndværk, der dog gerne måtte have taget sig mere tid til de dybere samtaler.

Den forhenværende 100-kroneseddelprydende Nielsen var en stor kunstner, men samtidig ikke et geni, han var ligesom dig og mig, skal det forstås. Seeren trakteres med prangende lysekroner, sommerdage i den fynske natur, besøg i barndomshjem og koncertsale. Skuespiller og komiker Tue Hoé gør det udmærket som omvandrende Nielsen i beige søndagssæt, blød hat og glimt i øjet. Klicheerne hober sig op, men de virker jo. Og de krydres heldigvis med nogle små greb, der fryder – som når Hoé til allersidst bryder den fjerde mur i overensstemmelse med Nielsens sjette og sidste symfoni.

Jeg savner dog mere stillingtagen til den folkekære komponist og hans oeuvre. Filmens mest interessante øjeblik er, når Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, cellist i Danish String Quartet, stiller spørgsmålstegn ved Nielsens forhold til den såkaldte »danske folkesjæl«: Var hans musik med til at skabe den? Eller blev musikken blot præget af en allerede eksisterende folkesjæl? Det er et spørgsmål, der desværre ikke udforskes videre.

Det hele glider så let – en anelse for let. På kun lidt under en times spilletid er det begrænset, hvor meget man kan nå at få med. Men når nu det er ingen ringere end den musikalske nationalhelt Carl Nielsen, kunne man godt have ønsket sig mere.

playlist

14.05

We are L'arannà – would you like to see our playlist?

»To us, music is the definitive companion. As listeners, it fosters a sense of communion, bridging the gap between souls through the shared experience of sound. As creators, however, music confronts us with our own inner void, that profound solitude that nourishes the creative spirit. At the same time, it dares us to leap into the unknown to decipher the ineffable. Music anchors us to the present moment, to the 'now' shared with a live audience; yet, it also touches the eternal.«

L'arannà is an electronic folk duo. With their last project, Turmarí, the duo dives deep into the folk music traditions of the Pityusic Islands, offering – through their blend of sound exploration– a perspective on Ibiza and Formentera. Synthesizers and keyboards share the stage with traditional instruments and aesthetics inspired by the ancestral ball pagès dance. Reviving cant redoblat (a unique form of singing from these islands preserved by fewer than twenty people) the group weaves a narrative that traces the roots and lived reality of two islands that are far more than just a dreamt-of paradise. The band will be touring around Denmark and Sweden, from 27th to 31th of May, playing at venues like Turkis, Dexter, Inkonst or ALICE.

playlist

14.05

My name is Marcela Lucatelli – would you like to see my playlist?

»Music to me is movement, trance, transformation. The rest I won't tell you.«

Marcela Lucatelli is a vocalist and composer. Born in Brazil and based in Denmark, she has gained international recognition for her boundary-pushing performances — sensuous, politically charged, and uncompromisingly original. Described by The Wire as a composer of »scores for the limits of bodies and voice,« Lucatelli challenges conventions with her fearless vocal experimentation and bold compositions. Her works have been performed by Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Vocal Ensemble, and Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart. She has appeared at major festivals and venues, including Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, DR Koncerthuset, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Darmstadt Ferienkurse, IRCAM, Copenhagen Opera Festival, Ultima Festival, Borealis Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Jazzfestival Saalfelden, Cafe Oto, A L’ARME!, DMA Jazz – Danish Music Awards, WOMEX, and many more. Lucatelli's work has earned her several prestigious awards, including the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Talent Prize (2019), Pelle Prize (2021), and the Danish Music Awards' 2023 Vocal Jazz Release of the Year, which shows that vocal jazz has many faces – and does not necessarily belong only to the soft end of the spectrum.

playlist

14.05

My name is Salim Washington – would you like to see my playlist?

»What is music to me? Here’s a quote from Nietzsche: ‘The people dancing all seemed crazy to the people who couldn’t hear the music.’«

Salim Washington is a saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, academic, and activist from Detroit who has been highly active on the American jazz scene since the 1970s, and also in South Africa, where he became a central figure. The spirit of John Coltrane hovers over his music, which carries both spiritual and social dimensions.

playlist

11.05

We are DØGNKIOSK – would you like to see our playlist?

»Music for us is the perfect language that we love to speak. A language where it is the individual's feelings and imagination that determine what is right and wrong. Everyone can speak the language. You don't have to be able to write or understand, but just listen. Some music requires that you listen carefully and maybe hear it several times. A bit like when you talk to someone from Norway or Sweden, you also have to listen a little extra.«

DØGNKIOSK is a Danish punk rock band with roots in Silkeborg. The band consists of bassist and singer Anders Ejner, who has been active on the Danish underground scene for several decades. Musically, DØGNKIOSK moves in a field between classic Danish punk and alternative rock. In the spring of 2026, the band will release their second album, Tæt på kanten.

news

05.05

A Critic on the Move – In Memory of Andreas Engström

It is difficult to comprehend that Andreas Engström is no longer with us. Just a couple of months ago, he wrote – as he had done so many times before – with an ambitious proposal: he wanted to review a box set of twenty releases by Dror Feiler. In the same message, he mentioned plans to come to Aarhus for the recently concluded Spor Festival.