The Danish Embassy teamed up with communications company Jabra to hold a concert Tuesday to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Danish composer Carl Nielsen.

The event at the Seoul National University Museum of Art attracted 150 guests from diplomatic missions, cultural industries, educational institutions and business communities, part of worldwide performances celebrating the occasion.

Danish-Korean group “Trio con Brio Copenhagen” ― comprised of Korean sisters, violinist Hong Soo-jin and cellist Hong Soo-kyung, and Soo-kyung’s husband pianist Dane Jens Elvekjaer ― played Nielsen’s fantasy pieces Op. 2 for Cello and Piano and Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2, Op. 35, as well as Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 49.

“Carl Nielsen’s story is one of talent and perseverance. He grew up in a poor family of 12 children, but used his talent to write some of Denmark’s greatest music,” Danish Ambassador Thomas Lehmann said in a speech.

Jonathan Tang, the vice president of APAC Consumer Solutions at Jabra, noted that Nielsen used his communicative music to strike at the heart of people’s emotions.

Nielsen was also a conductor and violinist, now widely regarded as Denmark’s greatest musician of all time. Born in Funen Island, he stood out as a child prodigy from a family of meager circumstances.

After starting his career in a military band, Nielsen played at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen from 1884-86, followed by a 16-year stint at the prestigious Royal Danish Orchestra as a second violinist. From 1916 until death, the Dane taught at the royal academy.

Although his symphonies, concertos and choral compositions are now globally performed, he spent his lifetime in the shadows. It wasn’t until the 1960s that his work gained widespread attention, through American composer Leonard Bernstein.

His most notable compositions include six symphonies, wind quintet pieces and concertos for violin, flute and clarinet, as well as the opera “Maskarade,” which have been treasured as part of Denmark’s national heritage. His early works were inspired by Brahms and Grieg, but he progressively charted his own path through experimentation.

Three of his compositions were included in the list of 12 greatest pieces of Danish music by the Ministry of Culture in 2006, and his face appeared on the 100 kroner bank note. The Carl Nielsen Museum in Odense highlights his life and legacy.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)