Hans Sydow

Copenhagen Echoes is a sonic remix of the historic centre of Copenhagen, seen through the eyes of the writers Ludvig Holberg, Hans Christian Andersen, Jernskiæg and Charles Dickens and heard through the ears of composer and sound artist Hans Sydow. Copenhagen Echoes will lead you through a sonic dreamscape from Kongens Nytorv to Magstræde, that evokes the spirit of the place. Along the route a mix of sound from Copenhagen and Hanoi will let you pass a sound bridge between the two cities.

A poem by H. C. Andersen from 1830 describes his feeling of walking along Østergade, a part of the Pedestrian Street in Copenhagen. I composed the piece based on old recordings of street cries from Copenhagen, transformed into music. The poem is read by actor and singer Ulle Bjørn Bengtsson. 
www.bengtssonsydow.dk

Ludvig Holberg was a famous danish screenwriter in the 17th century. A sculpture of him sitting in a chair, is placed  in front of The Royal Theatre. »Drømmer jeg eller er jeg vågen« (Am I dreaming or awake) samples Holberg from the cd  »Holberg til tiden« launched earlier this year. It is part of an exhibition that is still on at the Theatre Museum in Copenhagen. 

www.teatermuseet.dk/content/holberg-til-tiden

While walking along the Metro at Kongens Nytorv a mix of streetcries from modern Hanoi, recorded by Vietnamese sound artist Trinh Luong Hue, and historic streetcries from Copenhagen builds a sound bridge between the two cities.

Walk around Storkespringvandet (the fountan of storches) and create your own dreamscape of Jernskiægs Amagerrim. The old danish poems from 1693 whispering about the life of dutch immigrants in 16th century Copenhagen, accompanied by recordings of sounds and voices from two modern life kindergartens in Amager, a part of Copenhagen that was once inhabited by dutchmen. Past meets the present in this Text-Sound composition, that samples from a permanent sound installation at Musiktorvet on Amager. 

www.facebook.com/Lydtorvet

Walking along Højbro Plads and the statue of Absalon, the founder of Copenhagen, a mix of streetcries from modern Hanoi, recorded by Vietnamese sound artist Trine Luong Hue, and historic streetcries from Copenhagen builds a sound bridge between the two countries, and the danish drunkard and poet Tom Kristensen enters the choir with his definition of Dada: »Mærkelig, meningsløs, sludder« (strange, meaningless, twaddle), and cellist Morten Zeuthen imitates his voice.

In the narrow street between the buildings on Gammel Strand and the metro constructions site voices from modern dailylife in Hanoi is heard in combination with recordings of traditional vietnamese Theater, made by Vietnamese sound artist Trinh Luong Hue, and entering the square suddenly the legendary fishmonger Dagmar Hansen, who used to sell fish here sings duet with the vietnamese singer.

Charles Dickens often portrait his characters by describing the houses and the streets in which they live. His Architectural texts formed the raw material for this Text-Sound Compostion, in which four famous Danish architects – Tobias Faber, Erik Christian Sørensen, Knud Friis, Nils-Ole Lund – reworked it in the form of recitation. Ambient architecture in motion with the listener, now played back while walking along the historic houses in the medieval part of the Copenhagen centre.

Copenhagen Echoes

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The Echoes

Østergade 3

Østergade 2

Kongens Nytorv 3

Østergade 1

Kongens Nytorv 1

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