Min fynske barndom

"Our childhood is of utmost importance. One thing is certain, when I compose, I often see before me landscapes and people from my childhood. The intellectual side of the music is like one layer, while atmosphere comes from my childhood" Carl Nielsen 1865-1931. By the age of 7, Carl was already an extraordinary child. Being one of 12 children from a poor background, he had to start working very young to help support the family. As well as being an extra source of income, music was one of the most important parts of their everyday life. Together with his father and one brother, he played at the local weddings, celebrations and gatherings, which helped Carl to develop his natural gift for composing an expressing himself through music. His ambitious mother recognised his special talent and helped him to enrol in the army as a bugler boy in the military orchestra. His huge talent was further developed by the hard discipline there, and he began to compose his own music, inspired by the people he encountered, while living on his own in the city. The turning point in his life happened when he met the pianist Outzen, who worked in a local bar. Outzen was aware of Carl's potential and forced him to not only think and feel in music but also to stand up for his very unique ideas about composition. Carl soon began to add to his income by playing at prominent receptions and parties for the rich upper-class. Here he met Anna, with whom he fell deeply in love. But due to their different social backgrounds, she rejected him and returned to Sweden, leaving him heartbroken and miserable. Her rejection made Carl realise that he had to work even harder to get accepted, not only as a musician, but also as a person. He left military for the Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and thereby began his journey towards international acknowledgement. (forgalmazó hivatalos szövege)