Scan Magazine | A Nordic 2016 Culture Calendar | Denmark / Finland
Danish history on a silver platter Georg Jensen is perhaps the most well-established design house in a long row of Danish designers. The silversmith, who set up the global company, started out in a humble little workshop in Copenhagen in 1904 and saw his wares become craved across the world over the following decades. To celebrate his 150th birthday, one of Denmark’s best-loved castles, Koldinghus, is hosting the world’s largest ever exhibition of Georg Jensen silverware. By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Koldinghus
Koldinghus has had a long and dramatic history. Built in 1268 on the strategically important border between Denmark and Schleswig, now part of Denmark, Koldinghus has been the seat of monarchs and the backdrop to important international events, most famously as the makeshift home to a troop of freezing Spanish soldiers during the Napoleonic wars. In 1808, a massive fire broke out, ruining most of the old castle. It took the people of Kolding town most of two centuries to painstakingly rebuild the castle, but today, Koldinghus stands once again in a beautiful union between the old and the new. Koldinghus’ Georg Jensen: An Adventure in Silver exhibition features more
than 800 pieces of jewellery and silverware from 1904 to today. The ancient setting amplifies the sense of history evident in the Georg Jensen collection itself. The pieces provide a fascinating glimpse into Danish design through the ages, from Jensen’s own early, floral Art Deco pieces to mid-century experimentation with the clean lines, elegant curves and practicality that inspired Danish functionalism. In classic Georg Jensen spirit, individual designers are allowed to shine through, showing interesting contrasts and gradual developments from one epoch to another, with famous pieces such as Henning Koppel’s light, fluid ‘pregnant duck’ jug, juxtaposed with his contemporary Søren Georg Jensen’s masculine,
A walk of life – through music
angular post-war pieces. The jewellery section shows a parallel evolution from Victorian times to today in this unusually well-polished exhibition, which runs until 28 February. For more information, please visit: www.koldinghus.dk
By Linnea Dunne Photos: Korsholm Music Festival/Svenna Martens
Korsholm Music Festival in the Vaasa region of Finland takes its audience on a real journey on the theme ‘Walk of Life’.
“The thought behind the 2016 theme is twofold, referring not only to the journey the showcased composers have been on, but also the journey through the life of mankind,” says Monica Johnson, managing director of the festival. The geographical focal point will be Vienna, where the human soul has always been significant within both science and art. Mozart, who spent most of his childhood on the road, will have a big presence in the chamber music festival programme, as will later composers Schubert and Mahler, who wrote some of 38 | Issue 84 | January 2016
the most famous song cycles on the theme ‘walking through life’. Founded in 1983, Korsholm Music Festival boasts nine days of 30 concerts in venues spread out across the Vaasa region, including countryside wooden churches, the Vaasa town hall and the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kvarken Archipelago. After last year’s celebration of Sibelius, the 2016 festival will put the spotlight on significant neo-classicist composer Einar Englund, whose 100-year jubilee will be marked by numerous concerts. There will also be performances by the Aron String Quartet from Vienna and jazz legends such as Iiro Rantala, Ulf Wakenius and Viktoria Tolstoy among others. “Our opening concert in the Trinity Church will be a real highlight this year, featuring the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, soloist Jonathan Roozeman on cello, and the fantastic conductor Sakari Oramo,” says Johnson. “Oramo is such a
special treat for the audience. Not many conductors manage to make the orchestra smile as they’re conducting, but he does!”
Korsholm Church, main concert venue.
FACTS: Korsholm Music Festival will take place 27 July to 4 August. Artistic director since 2013: concert pianist Henri Sigfridsson. Shuttle bus to concerts outside the town of Vaasa. Direct flights to Vaasa run from Stockholm and Helsinki, both taking approximately one hour.
For more information, please visit: www.korsholmmusicfestival.fi