Hans Abrahamsen

Hans Abrahamsen is one of the younger representatives of the Danish movement toward "new simplicity" (ny enkelhed), which developed in the 1960s and '70s. His pieces, mostly quite short, are marked by very light, finely orchestrated textures, a lack of harsh dissonance, and the use of collage and pastiche. In 1990, Abrahamsen with Søren Hansen, among others, created the Århus Sinfonietta. Dedicated to soprano Barbara Hannigan, his 2013 song cycle let me tell you was premiered by Hannigan that year with the Berlin Philharmonic under Andris Nelsons; the work earned Abrahamsen the 2016 Grawemeyer Award for Musical Composition. His first opera, Snedronningen, was commissioned by the Danish Opera House and premiered there in 2019. Abrahamsen's other works include chamber ensemble arrangements of music by Satie, Nielsen, and Ravel.