A Night at the Opera – Else Torp in Performance

We welcome the acclaimed Danish Soprano, Else Torp, to the Gallery for a special recital of traditional Danish songs from the times of the Skagen Painters, beautifully linking sight with sound for Anna Ancher: Painting Light.

Else Torp

Initially specialised in baroque and early music, Else Torp is recognised as a major exponent of contemporary repertoire. In concert, she sings a selection of Danish and German Lied and performs distinctive works like William Walton’s Façade and Judith Weir’s King Harald’s Saga. She sang for the premiere of David Lang’s Ark Luggage with the Smith Quartet in 2012.

She has made some thirty recordings including a recital of melodies by C.E.F. Weyse, a CD devoted to the music of Ib Norholm with the guitarist Per Paalsson, The Little Match Girl Passion by David Lang and a highly-acclaimed CD of works by Heinrich Schütz with Ars Nova Copenhagen.

Programe for the evening

This concert brings together music by composers from Anna Ancher’s circle, highlighting a rich but often overlooked repertoire created largely by women. Eight piano pieces by Hilda Sehested (1858–1936) form a connecting thread through a programme of songs with piano accompaniment.

The programme features songs by Tekla Griebel Wandall, Nanna Liebmann, Margaret Hamerik, and Nancy Dalberg, presented as part of a wider initiative by the Danish publisher Edition·S to champion female composers. Liebmann and Ancher were both closely involved in the influential Women’s Exhibition of 1895, reflecting the shared artistic networks of the time.

Songs are performed in Danish, German, and English, alongside two works by Carl Nielsen, I Was Born in Denmark and The Sun Is Shining in the Neighbour’s Yard, with texts by H. C. Andersen. Dalberg, who worked closely with Nielsen for many years, played an important role in shaping his music, including the celebrated cantata Funen Spring.

Interwoven stories, adapted for an English-speaking audience, connect the music to the cultural world of Anna Ancher, bringing this vibrant artistic moment to life.