Hans Abrahamsen's Schnee

Address

Blågårds Plads 6A,
2200 København

Hans Abrahamsen's Schnee

Description

ATHELAS once again performs Hans Abrahamsen's beautiful and contemplative work, Schnee, which has played to sold-out houses since 2018. The explanation is simple: Abrahamsen has created a magical musical universe that leaves the listener captivated, enchanted and entranced. At the most recent performance in 2025, Politiken gave it the maximum six hearts and wrote: “Once again this year it was a white Christmas in Koncertkirken, where Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen has made it a December tradition to transform loneliness into community. To be transformed from a lonely snowflake into part of a snowfall. Well, can it get any more beautiful?”♥♥♥♥♥♥. Schnee is – in short – a unique interpretation of the sounds of snow. The simultaneous individuality and collective movement of snowflakes make it almost obvious that a composer such as Hans Abrahamsen should want to turn snow into music. And nowhere does it happen more convincingly than in Schnee – 10 Canons for 9 Instruments, as the work's sober subtitle reads. This year too, ATHELAS lets the Christmas snow fall over the audience in KoncertKirken, with dancing snowflakes on the walls of the church like living points of light. Canon and winter landscapes Most people know the concept of the canon from the children's song Mester Jakob. Each voice follows its own path and at the same time becomes part of an ever more complex whole. When listening to Schnee, it is natural to associate the music with images of swirling snowflakes, softly falling snow or heavy, wet flakes drifting relentlessly to the ground. The work evokes a wealth of associations. Its fascination with patterns and structures may lead the thoughts to Bach. Others hear a contemporary reflection on Vivaldi's winter landscapes. Whatever images the music conjures up, Schnee invites the listener into a sensuous and philosophical meditation on the sound of snow.