Cultures
Denmark Cultures and Tradition
Architecture and Art
The Danes are true lovers of art and culture, there are numerous events scheduled. Each year, the Danes held many festivals with the most varied contents, organizing a festival for them is something so natural could be considered a real art.
These festivals are jazz, ballet, music or any other material have the advantage of being highly participatory, organize outdoors, usually on the street and help to put a touch of color and culture in the Danish summer.
Artistically, the best time to call Denmark was the Golden Age, which coincided with the awakening of the artistic life in the country, dominated by the tastes and trends, derived mainly from France and Italy. Museum visits are a common activity among Danes, despite not being a country with large cities, not too crowded, has a list of museums in the world like few others, with the common denominator of the variety, and even , curiosity. And do not stop opening new museums coming to join the many already open.
If anything defines the artistic work of the Danes is the design, a statement of principles it is the matter in question, predominantly inbred lines and functionality.
In the nineteenth century, several stand out as painters Kobke, or Kroyer Ancher and the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. COBRA Movement (formed by artists Danes, Swedes and Dutch in the 50’s) drew Asger Jorn.
C.F. Hansen (1756-1845) is one of the most important neoclassical architects from Denmark, author of Copenhagen’s cathedral, the Vor Frue Kirke (1811-29).
Arne Jacobsen (1902-71) helped to introduce functionalism in Denmark in the mid-thirties. Author of two of the most discussed architectural projects of his time-the city of Aarhus (1939-42) and the new National Bank building in Copenhagen (1965-78) – is considered one of the most important architects of Europe, with works known as the St Catherine’s College at Oxford (1966), the Danish embassy in London (1969-77) and the city of Mainz in Germany (1970-73).
Henning Larsen, was born in 1925. His main work is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh (1982-84), a monumental building that elegantly combines the traditions of Islamic and European construction.
In Denmark his most prominent are the College of Economics and Business Administration, Frederiksberg (1988-89) and the Central Library Gentofte (1984-85).
Johan Otto von Spreckels, 1929-87, is the architect of many of the modern churches of Denmark as the Vangede, north of Copenhagen (1974) and the Stavnsholt in Farum (1981). His last work and perhaps the best known is La Grande Arche (big arch of a 110 meters high) in the district of La Défense in Paris, opened in 1989, two years after his death.
Jørn Utzon, who was born in 1918, is probably the most important Danish architect of the twentieth century. In his work, influenced the post-renowned architect Alvar Aalto and Frank Lloyd Wright, it is worth noting at the Sydney Opera House, the Bank Melli in Tehran (1963) and the building of the Parliament of Kuwait (1978-85).
Literature
The first traces of writing are runic inscriptions in tombs and swords with more than 1000 years old. At the beginning of the thirteenth century was a capital work entitled Gesta Danorum ‘, the first written in Latin, which recounts among other things the story of Hamlet Shakespeare inmortalizaría later.
From that date until the nineteenth century and highlights a number of authors such as Worm or SyV but did not achieve genuine international importance. The boom in Danish literature and the thought occurred in the first half of the nineteenth century with world-renowned authors, such as the storyteller Hans Christian Andersen and the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, father of existentialism, which have a significant influence on authors such as Unamuno and Sartre.
In the twentieth century’s most famous writers are Karen Blixen, author of the novel ‘Far from Africa “published under the pseudonym Isak Denise, who after the success of the film” Memories of Africa “has become a worldwide bestseller, and Peter Hoeg, some of whose works have been translated into many languages, including Spanish, and have achieved a spectacular success.
Movies
Currently, the best example is the Danish film director Lars von Trier, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes with “Dancer in the dark.” The filmmaker takes on the style in the tradition opened by the Danish expressionism in cinema in the early decades of the twentieth century.
But this was not the only Danish has emerged triumphant in Cannes, and Bille August in 1988 that won the Palme d’Or for “Pelle the Conqueror”, who also won the Oscar for best foreign film.
Ax Gabriel in 1987 received the Oscar for best foreign film by ‘The feast of Babette, a story based on the familiar story of Karen Blixen.
“Miss Smilla and their particular perception of the snow” by Peter Hoeg, was made into a film by Bille August in 1997 under the title ‘Smile, mystery in the snow “with Jodie Foster as a player.
The movie “The Little Mermaid” by Walt Disney, is a good reference for drawing the smallest of the house to read the full stories of Andersen.
Award-winning American film director King Vidor led to the big screen the life of Hans Christian Andersen in the movie “The fabulous Andersen 1952.
Music
Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832) was born in Germany but in 1810 moved to Denmark and lived there until his death. Its appearance in 1811 at the Teatro Real in Copenhagen with his “Piano Concerto” was a great success. Kuhlau wrote many operas, among them Lulu (1824). His best-known work is the music for the national tragedy “Elverhøi” (1828), the piece played at the Teatro Real.
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) is the most important musicians of the twentieth century Danes. Exerted a great influence on subsequent generations of composers Danes and Scandinavians in general. In his repertoire are the Symphonies No. 3 and No. 5. Highlights of his operas “Saul and David” (1898-1901) and “Maskarade” (1904-06).
Per Nørgård, born in 1932, is the central figure in Danish musical life today. His main works are: “Konstellationer (Constellation, 1958),” Rejse ind i den gyldne skærm “(Trip to the Golden Screen, 1968), ‘Canon’ (1970-72) and” Siddhartha “(1973-79). He is a writer and music teacher.
Danish jazz occupies an important place on the world scene. Highlights the Radio Big Band orchestras and Pierre Dorgan’s New Jungle Orchestra. Palle Mikkelborg the trumpet, bass Niels-Henning Oersted Pedersen, saxophonist John Tchicai and Marilyn Mazur percursionista are the most outstanding performers.
In the last two decades of the twentieth century, Denmark has provided new talents in acoustic music and computer as Gunnar Møller Pedersen, Ivar Frounberg and Wayne Siegel.
Language or language
The official language is Danish, as the Latin alphabet, but with three more points that lie at the end of the alphabet: æ, å (aa) and ø. Although Danish is not an easy language, it may be understood without great difficulties, as are many Danes who speak a foreign language, especially English and German.
Religion
In Denmark there is freedom of worship, although most of the population belongs to the Lutheran Church of Denmark. There is no official religion.
Gastronomy
Danish cuisine has some similarities with the other two Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Norway.
The Danish king of the kitchen is the “smørrebrød. Its origin could not be more modest, since it was a couch that was prepared with the leftovers of the meal with a few slices of bread … or at least it was in 1800 when he was the favorite snack of seafarers.
The ingredients of the “smørrebrød” modern are very varied: meat, herring (most traditional), shrimp … with their proverbial bread rye. And since we are in a Scandinavian country, can not miss the smorgasbord, with all sorts of delicious smoked Nordic equally capable of satisfying the most gourmet and gourmand.
We were forgetting to another of the players in the Danish kitchen, herring, which is prepared in many ways and with varied accompaniments More?: Tea cakes, breads of all kinds, cheese, oysters, urtepot, pebernødder, kljener, Kagera brune … What are they? The best way is try.
The star is undoubtedly drink beer, Carlsberg and Tuborg brands are the two best-known Danish.
The sweet tea and pastries are world famous.
