To better understand 20th-century music, we cling to a distinctly Germanic understanding of time: After late romanticism, the room had to be aired out. A sober and austere style emerged with the modernists of the time such as Strawinsky, Bartok and Hindemith. And Schönberg, with his twelve-tone music, became the prerequisite for pure serialism: the Darmstadt School. Here, composers such as Stockhausen, Boulez, Nono and several other masters swung the baton. The motto "Nie erhörte Klänge" set the agenda right up until the 1980s - and still resonates.

In France, however, people go their own way. Marcel Dupré, like many of his contemporary French colleagues, moves in the borderland between late romanticism and modernism and has thus conquered a large expressive territory, where they move freely and at home.

Anne Kirstine Mathiesen writes about Cortége et Litanie: The piece was originally one of five pieces of stage music for small orchestra, of which only three exist today. According to Roland Krane (1978), the stage piece from which Cortége et Litanie originates was called Hymne au soleil. But as far as is known, no such piece exists, so it is possible that the stage music was written for Edmond Rostand's play 'Chantecler' between 1910 and 1918).

Several versions of the beautiful piece of music followed. Dupré played the piece on the piano for some friends in New York in 1922, among them Alexander Russell, who subsequently asked him to prepare a solo organ version. Later, again at Russell's initiative, a version for organ and orchestra followed. These versions form the basis for Anne Kirstine Mathiesen's arrangement for piano and organ.

Variations on two themes op. 35 from 1937 must be considered one of the genre's main works. A series of virtuoso and deeply original variations in a dense tonal language and with a terrific final fugue.

The composer Tage Nielsen (1929 – 2003) foresaw a new Golden Age in reaction to Darmstadt's dominance. And that is probably the kind of age we find ourselves in today in the 21st century.

The Danish composer, Martin Lohse, writes about Flow:

Rapid repetitions on a sliding stream of slow chords, always on the way to something: Small motifs with an inner longing and large chords that never find their place, like a flowing stream of life that moves forward in small circles, in an eternal wave between consciousness and matter.

Jens Ramsing writes about Koppel's Concertino: Fortunately, we managed to persuade Anders Koppel to write a work for piano and organ without much difficulty.

There is still a clear distinction between classical and rhythmic music. And as many know, Anders Koppel has a leg in each camp. But in reality he has many legs in several camps and is, for example, the author of an extensive production of ballet and film music. And he has, noticeably and consciously, both the organ and the piano as his instruments - now for the first time put together as equals.

The Concertino for piano and organ is classical in the sense that the first movement presents and develops several concertante and contrasting elements with weight and originality.

In contrast, the second movement is nothing - as in nothing. Cheeky - and perhaps still something important? A pensive dancer on stage after the evening's performance - all alone, just a series of random steps?

In the 3rd movement, the antics are unleashed with bold rhythms and challenging syncopations. Virtuoso and benevolent.

The music is everywhere imaginative and subtle.

Concertino was premiered at a concert in Køge Church on May 10, 2025.