Instrumentation: 2.1.2.3 / 2.2.2.1 / timp, 4perc, harp, cel / str: 6.5.4.4.2 Soloist: vc
Humankind's evolutionary development takes a quantum leap when man arises from the ground. This enables the species to use its hands for new purposes and quickly leads to the creation of tools. Along with the motor development of the hands the human brain matures accordingly and results in the formation of refined systems, societies, cultures and expressions.
In Hands Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Opsahl investigates the balance and interdependency between body and mind; nature and culture, integration and disintegration of the two human aspects in a modern world increasingly ruled by the computerized, alienating, yet alleged ‘extended human mind’.
The work unfolds a unified analogue auditive and visual aesthetic that use and emphasize the natural musical movements of the soloist’s and the orchestra’s hands to shape a collective choreography reflecting upon the hands being core human medias for expression, for the shaping and development of the mind, communities and cultures.
Hands o will call for us to remember the importance of analogue expression and communities deriving from the evolution of hands, bodily manifestation, craftsmanship and discipline as a counterpoint to the detaching and lonesome digitized reality of today.
Josefine Opsahl (b. 1992) is a Danish composer and cellist whose work spans classical composition, electronic experimentation, and interdisciplinary performance. Based between Copenhagen and Berlin, she merges acoustic and digital soundscapes, often combining her cello with live electronics and sound design in her solo performances.
Opsahl studied both classical and contemporary music at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and Northwestern University (IL, USA), earning her Master’s degree in cello. She later completed composition studies in Contemporary Creative Art at the South Danish Conservatory.
Her work as a performer includes collaborations with ensembles such as Kottos and We Like We, as well as her 2022 solo release Atrium. As a composer, Opsahl has written for opera, ballet, and symphonic orchestra, including a cello concerto and large-scale works premiered at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. Her opera Hjem was nominated for Opera of the Year at the 2023 Reumert Awards.
She is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including the 2022 Crown Prince Couple’s Stardust Award, the 2021 Léonie Sonning Talent Prize, and the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation’s Prize of Honor (2020).
Opsahl’s music is noted for its sensitivity to space, texture, and time—combining formal classical training with a contemporary, genre-defying curiosity.