On 1 January 1993, Christina Åstrand and Johannes Søe Hansen sat in the front row of violins in the Radiohuset concert hall. They were the two new concertmasters of the Radio Symphony Orchestra. Beforehand, they had auditioned, as one has always done to get a place in the orchestra.
When two new concertmasters started at the same time, it was because the selection panel at the time couldn't decide which of the two was the best for the orchestra's finest jobs.
There is therefore a certain symbolism in the fact that these two were presented with this year's ”Peter Varming Memorial Prize” at the first of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra's New Year concerts on the penultimate day of 2018. The scholarship committee had the same problem deciding which of the two it should be. The DKK 25,000 prize has been awarded to a single musician on each of the three previous occasions it has been given out, but with great goodwill from the Beckett Foundation, they managed to avoid the choice this time by exceptionally doubling the amount so that they both received the DKK 25,000.
The award, the Peter Varming Memorial Prize, was established in memory of the Friends' first chairman, who died in 2015. Until his death, Peter Varming was director of the foundation, which you can read more about below. His widow, Anette Faaborg, walked on stage with the current chairman of the Friends' Association, Mogens Rubinstein, and presented the two cheques. The award also comes with portrait photos taken by one of Denmark's best photographers, images that the award recipients can use in their future careers.
Speaking at the ceremony, Anette Faaborg said:
- This year, the Beckett Foundation has - quite extraordinarily - decided to double the prize and give two times DKK 25,000 to two musicians who have meant the world to the orchestra's development over 25 years! And 25 years as first concertmasters - which means that they all sit at the front of the orchestra in front of the group of first violins. Right there!
Being first concertmaster of a large symphony orchestra is a real challenge for a good musician. You have to be at the top of your game at all times and play any solo in any piece of music - old or brand new - to take your breath away! You need to be able to work with any conductor and relay his instructions to the orchestra so that everyone understands them. You must be able to lead the orchestra and your group with all the respect expected of a first concertmaster. You need to be at the top of your artistic game day in and day out - and you need great leadership skills. All this - and much more - is more than enough to fulfil the evening's award winners.
Anette Faaborg ended by turning to the orchestra's third concertmaster, Soo-Jin Hong, saying: "You are too young to receive the award yet.
The charter for the Memorial Prize states that it is awarded to one of the orchestra's musicians ”who, through his or her artistic work, has made a special contribution over many years to the orchestra's development to its current high international level”.
Last year the award went to janissary Gert Sørensen, the year before to violist Claus Myrup, while flautist Ulla Miilmann was the first recipient.
Christina Åstrand comes from what Storm P would call a very musical family. Her father was a trumpet player in the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, her grandmother was a pianist. She herself got her first violin when she was four years old, entered the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 13 while completing her 9th grade. And she became a concertmaster at DR at the age of 23.
Johannes Søe Hansen was also an early bird - 27 years old when he became concertmaster on the same day as his colleague. He was 17 when he started at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, from which he graduated in 1987.
Paul Beckett was a painter, but the money in the foundation comes from his inherited fortune. The foundation supports arts and culture, medical science and nature conservation. Until his death in 2015, lawyer Peter Varming was director of the foundation. He was also the Friends' first chairman, and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra was his great personal passion. The orchestra and the Friends continue to benefit from this. Among other things, through the Peter Varming Memorial Prize. The recipient is decided by a committee of four members: Anette Faaborg (on behalf of the Beckett Foundation), the current: 2) chairman of the board of the Friends of the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra (currently Mogens Rubinstein), 3) chairman of the symphony orchestra (currently Dorte Bennike) and 4) orchestra manager of DRSO (currently Kim Bohr). The award is presented as close to Peter Varming's birthday, 7 January, as possible. In recent years, the award has been presented just after the intermission at the first of the orchestra's New Year concerts, on 30 December.
Paul Beckett's widow, Birte Beckett, eagerly attends the awards every year. She lives in Spain, where the couple also lived much of their lives. They lived a modest life, but travelled extensively across the globe. The couple have no children.
