Spring Concert (FO)

Where: Høllin
Duration: 110 min (incl. break)

Following a sold-out New Year’s concert featuring only Faroese soloists, the Faroese Symphony Orchestra continues its collaboration with local artists. At the spring concerts, the orchestra presents pianist Aksel Remmel, who performs Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninov, as well as works by the Faroese composer Eli Tausen á Lava. The Faroese Symphony Orchestra performs the spring concerts at the Nordic House and Varpið on 14 and 15 March.

Eli Tausen á Lava 
Eli Tausen á Lava is active as a composer, pianist, and electronic musician. Holding a master’s degree in composition from New York University, Eli has, in recent years, collaborated with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, The Rhythm Method, Aldubáran, and now also the Faroese Symphony Orchestra. The orchestral work let me cry, marked a major breakthrough for Eli. The piece was premiered in 2024 at the Nordic Music Days in Scotland, attracting significant attention. Since then, several European orchestras have included the work in their programs.

Faroese Soloist 
Aksel Remmel is a pianist who completed his master’s degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen in 2025, studying with Professor Jens Elvekjær. In 2021, Aksel won the Stella Polaris competition for young classical musicians, and he has previously performed with the Faroese Symphony Orchestra. At the spring concert, Aksel Remmel performs a full piano concerto with symphony orchestra for the first time. Rachmaninov wrote Piano Concerto No. 2 in the years 1900–1901. After a disastrous premiere, at which Rachmaninov himself played the piano, the concerto later became one of his most frequently performed works.

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 was written between 1877 and 1878. The work revolves around fatum, the Latin word for fate, and is therefore also known as the “Fate Symphony.” The symphony was composed during a period of deep personal crisis for Tchaikovsky, which is clearly reflected in its dark and dramatic music. Although the symphony was initially received with mixed reactions, it is today regarded as one of the composer’s most important works and is performed all over the world.

Catherine Larsen-Maguire 
Catherine Larsen-Maguire was born in Manchester and has lived in Berlin for the past 30 years. She studied music at the University of Cambridge, in Hannover, and at the Karajan Academy in Berlin. After ten years as principal bassoonist at the Komische Oper Berlin, Catherine decided in 2012 to pursue her dream of becoming a conductor. Since then, she has conducted leading orchestras including the London Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, and Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

Conductor: Catherine Larsen-Maguire (UK)
Soloists: Aksel Remmel (FO)

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