It is always a great joy to follow how former students from the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark, contribute with what they have learned at the Academy to the vibrant world of music. This is especially true when it comes to students from other countries and cultures.
Over the years, we have been enriched by impressions from China through several groups of Chinese students. And we are happy and proud that Chen Hu Jie, with his new CD, has continued his interest in Danish music culture after returning home to China. We hope that many in China – and all over the world – will enjoy listening to Chen Hu Jie’s interpretations of Danish clarinet music.
Already in 2023, while Hu Jie was still a student at the Academy, we were pleased that he released a CD of Danish music together with another international student, Swedish pianist Albin Axelsson. It is a significant achievement for a classical conservatory student to release a CD during his studies. And it was remarkable that Hu Jie, with his Chinese background, chose to record works by Danish composers, including Niels W. Gade, who in his time was regarded as one of the leading composers in the Nordic region.
Equally remarkable is that Chen Hu Jie, with his new CD, continues to show interest in clarinet music written by Danish composers — both well-known names like Vagn Holmboe and Emil Hartmann, as well as composers who are no longer widely known, even in Denmark. Especially here in 2025, the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Denmark, it is a great joy to witness a talented young Chinese musician contributing to the preservation of Danish cultural heritage.
Keld Hosbond, principal
Royal Academy of Music, Denmark
The Cultural Bridge Wrought
from Scandinavian Wood
As a clarinettist, I often reflect on how music can serve as a bridge in today’s divided world. My own artistic path has long been intertwined with the Nordic countries, and without doubt the years I spent in Denmark were among the most valuable of my life. Thus, in 2025, the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Denmark, I feel compelled to dedicate my best efforts to recording Danish clarinet works, so that more listeners may encounter and cherish these treasures.
This album presents clarinet music by Danish composers, with Vagn Holmboe (1909–1996) and Emil Hartmann (1836–1898) as the most prominent figures. Yet Holmboe’s Capriccio, Op. 177, and Hartmann’s Serenade, Op. 24, are seldom performed and rarely recorded. Holmboe, ranked alongside Carl Nielsen and Niels Gade, has not received complete documentation, while Hartmann, like many Romantic Danish composers, has faded from memory. It is therefore essential to preserve these works, to give them new voice in today’s cultural landscape.
As I noted in my previous album (Contemporary Floating World, EAN: 0746160918020), I visited Det Kgl. Bibliotek Den Sorte Diamant (the Royal Danish Library the Black Diamond) searching for forgotten manuscripts. There, I discovered clarinet music by Kjell Roikjer (1901–1999), which had neither been published nor recorded. I began to bring his works to light, so that they might find a place on concert stages. Similarly, Flemming Weis’s Tre Stykker for Klarinet survived only as a sketch in C, written beyond the clarinet’s range. After careful revision, I revised and edited it for B-flat clarinet, making the music playable. Weis’s Clarinet Sonata, with its rhythmic vitality and vivid contrasts, also features in this album.
Another case is Jens Bjerre (1903–1986). His Four Études appeared in catalogues but seemed out of print. After a long search, I located a rare copy in the Royal Danish Library, with the help of my friend Jiang Wenzhe, a Chinese bassoonist and fellow alumnus of the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus. Thanks to this effort, the piece can now reach new audiences. To conclude, I include Thorvald Hansen’s (1847–1915) Konzert-Walzer, a brilliant encore work originally written for cornet or clarinet. This may be the first recording of its clarinet version.
As in my first Scandinavian Wood album, my aim here is to offer hope. Though we live in an anxious and restless world, music can reconnect us, dismantle the walls of the heart, and renew our vision of a shared future. These works form a bridge across cultures, giving us strength to believe, to create, and to love. Even if we seem to walk through a cold and endless forest, with hope and love we may yet overcome all trials and find a radiant new beginning.
Chen Hu Jie
Now autumn wind stirs
in Yichang clear rain finds the heart
September, 2025