Repertoire teasers

  • FRENCH CLASSICS

    Claude Debussy: En Fauns eftermiddagl/l’apres-midi d’un Faune (1894)
    Maurice Ravel: Klavertrio (1914)
    Olivier Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin de temps (1942)

  • NORTHERN LIGHTS

    Carl Nielsen: 5 klaverstykker (Op. 3) for kvartet (1890)
    Britta Byström: Camera Picta (2024)
    John Ireland: Phantasie for klavertrio (1908)
    Steingrimur Rohloff: Die 4 Himmelsrichtungen (2020)

  • A EUROPEAN JOURNAL

    Fanny Mendelssohn: Klavertrio (1846)
    Robert Schumann: Märchenerzählungen (1853)
    Thomas Adès: Catch for kvartet (1991)
    Walter Rabl: Kvartet (1896)

  • RAVEL & HINDEMITH JUBILEE 2025

    Maurice Ravel:
    Ma mère l’Oye (Min gåsemor) (1910)
    Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899)
    Klavertrio (1914)

    Paul Hindemith: Kvartet (1938)

  • THE ADVENTUROUS

    Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899)
    Robert schumann: 3 romanzen (1949)
    György Kurtág: Trio Hommage à R. Schumann - op. 15
    Igor Stravinsky: Historien om en soldat (1918)
    Walter rabl: Quartet for Piano, Violin, Clarinet, and Cello, Op.1 (1897)

Our Projects

Since 2024, the ensemble is the artistic directors of the Båstad International Chamber Music Festival one of the most prominent festivals in the Nordics, featuring 25 concerts and masterclasses.

In 2025, Messiaen Quartet Copenhagen marked the 100th anniversary of Carl Th. Dreyer’s silent film Du skal ære din hustru (Master of the House) with a special re-premiere in Copenhagen’s historic Palads cinema – the same venue where the film first premiered in 1925.

For the occasion, the quartet curated and performed a newly arranged score made up entirely of classical works composed within the last 100 years.

The project was realised in collaboration with the Danish Film Institute and Nordisk Film and with support from Augustinus Fonden and Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond.

Messiaen Quartet Copenhagen is a driving force within the vibrant musician collective Østerbro Koncertforening in Copenhagen. Here, new ideas are developed for outreach and for creating connections between musicians and listeners through a series of concerts and a festival.

With a focus on nurturing the next generation of musicians and composers, the quartet regularly conducts masterclasses for students from institutions like Musikhögskolan Malmö and Sankt Annæ MGK.

The ensemble is collaborating with leading Scandinavian and international composers, having commissioned and premiered prize winning music by: Márton Illés, Steingrimur Rohloff, Britta Byström, Poul Ruders, Peter Bruun, Ole Buck, Mogens Christensen, Lars Klit, Pernille Sejlund,  Mathias Vestergård, Line Tjørnhøj and Martin Stauning.

Learn more about our repertoire:

    • Britta Byström: The Conference of the Birds (2025)

    • Steingrimur Rohloff: Die 4 Himmelsrichtungen (2020) (IRC 2021 recommended top 10)

    • Martin Stauning: Stèle à Six Faces (2019) ("Carl Prisen" best chambermusic work 2020)

    • Peter Bruun: Merman and the shore (2019)

    • Lars Klit: The faded garden (2018)

    • Pernille Sejlund: Ceci n'est pas un tango and "Nord" (2018)

    • Britta Byström: Camera Picta (2024)

    • Mogens Christensen: Flumina Mortis (2022)

    • Lars Hegaard: A New Beginning (2017)

    • Marton Illes: Tre akvareller for klavertrio (2024)

    • Line Tjørnhøj (f. 1960): TO HAVE TO (2018)

    • Matias Vestergård: Liebeslied (2017/2024)

    • Ole Buck: Figurationer (2022)

    • Richard Wagner: Isoldes Liebestod

    • Claude Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

    • Arnold Scönberg: Verklärte nacht

    • Claude Debussy: Premiere Rhapsodie

    • Tor Aulin: Violinkoncert no. 3 i c-mol op. 14. (1896)

    • John Cage: 4:33

    • Antonín Dvorák: Bagateller op. 47 (1878)

    • Carl Nielsen: Fem klaverstykker op. 3 (1891)

    • Niels W. Gade: Scherzo i cis-mol for piano quartet (1836)

    • H. C. Lumbye: Koncertpolka for two violins (1863)

    • Bohuslav Martinu: quartet (1947)

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Quartet in E-flat, KV. 493 (1786)

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Koncert for klarinet i A-dur, K. 622, Allegro - Koncert for klaver i A-dur, K. 488, Adagio - Koncert for violin i A-dur, K. 219, Rondeau - Tempo di minuetto


  • Quartets and larger ensemble

    • Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin de temps

    • Walter Rabl: Quartet

    • Thomas Adés: Catch for quartet

    • Paul Hindemith: Quartet

    • Britta Byström: Letters in April

    • Niels W. Gade: Presto for quartet

    • Johan Sebastian Bach/Andy Pape: Præludium i Es-mol

    • Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance no 5 WoO 1

    • Karl Fiorini: In the Midst of Things (2019)

    • Schönberg: Pierrot Lunaire

    • Marton Illes: Tre Akvareller (2020)

    • Vittori Monti/Bent Lorentzen: Czárdás (1904/2006)

    • Carl Nielsen: Hanedans fra Maskerade (1906) Arrangeret af Øystein Sonstadt

    • Per Nørgård: Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking (2008)

    • Frantz Schubert/Per

    • Nørgård: Nacht und Träume (2005)

    • Poul Ruders: Tattoo for Four (2017)

    • John Williams: Air and Simple Gifts (2009)

      Trios

    • Johannes Brahms: Clarinet trio

    • Clara Schumann: Piano trio

    • Robert Schumann: Märchenerzählungen

    • Maurice Ravel: Piano trio

    • Emil Hartmann: Serenade

    • Grażyna Bacewicz: Trio for violin, Klarinet og cello

    • Béla Bartók: Contrasts

    • Ludwig v. Beethoven: Gassenhauertrio op. 11

    • Ludwig v. Beethoven: Trio for klaver, klarinet og cello op. 38 (1803)

    • Mogens Christensen: Nordic Summer Ghosts (1996)

    • Ludwig v. Beethoven: Trio for klaver, klarinet og cello op. 38

    • Sally Beamish: The King’s Alchemist (2013)

    • Claude Debussy: Klavertrio (1880)

    • Antoni Dvorak: Klavertrio op 90, 'Dumky' (1891)

    • Emil Hartmann: Serenade op. 24 for klarinet, cello og klaver (1877)

    • Vagn Holmboe: Trio for klarinet, cello og klaver op. 137 (1978)

    • John Ireland: Phantasie-Trio (1906)

    • György Kurtág: HOMMAGE à R. Sch. op. 15/d (1990)

    • Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Klavertrio nr. 1 i d-mol op. 49 (1839)

    • Darius Milhaud: Suite op. 157b for violin, klarinet og klaver (1936)

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Kegelstatt, K. 498 for klarinet, bratch og klaver (1786)

    • Per Nørgård: Spell (1973) for klarinet, cello og klaver

    • Franz Schubert: klavertrio i B-dur D. 898 (1827)

    • Arnold Schönberg: Verklärte Nacht op. 4 for klavertrio (1899)

    • Dimitri Sjostakovitj (1906-75): Klavertrio nr. 1 i c-mol (1923)

    • Dimitri Sjostakovitj (1906-75): 5 stykker for violin, klarinet og klaver (1949-55)

    • Igor Stravinsky: Historien om en soldat, for violin, klarinet og klaver (1918)

    • Bent Sørensen: Mondnacht for bratsch, klarinet og klaver (2005)

      Duos

    • Claude Debussy: Premiere Rhapsodie

    • Tor Aulin (1855-1914): Fyra Akvareller för violin og piano

    • Nadia Boulanger: Tre stykker for cello og klaver (1914)

    • Lili Boulanger: To stykker for violin og klaver (1911)

    • Johannes Brahms: Scherzo for violin og klaver WoO 2

    • Johannes Brahms: Sonate for klarinet og klaver i Es-dur op. 120 nr. 2

    • Johannes Brahms: Sonate for klarinet og klaver i f-mol op. 120 nr. 1

    • Rebecca Clarke: Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale for bratsch og klarinet

    • Claude Debussy: Nocturne et Scherzo for cello og klaver

    • Ludwig v. Beethoven: Sonate for klaver og cello op. 102 nr. 1 (1815)

    • Claude Debussy: Sonate for cello og klaver (1915)

    • Claude Debussy: Sonate for violin og klaver (1917)

    • Jean Francaix: Tema med variationer for klarinet og klaver (1974)

    • Niels W. Gade: Fantasistykker for klarinet og klaver op. 43 (1864)

    • George Gershwin: tre preludier for klarinet og klaver (1926)

    • Edvard Grieg: Cellosonate op. 36 (1883)

    • Johan Halvorsen: Passacaglia, op 20 nr. 2 for violin og cello (1894)

    • Leoš Janáček: Pohádka for cello og Klaver (1910)

    • Zoltan Kodaly: Duo for violin og cello op. 7 (1914)

    • György Kurtág: Hommage à Jacob Obrecht for bratch og cello (2005)

    • Amanda Maier: sonate for violin og klaver (1878)

    • Olivier Messiaen: Tema med variationer for violin og klaver (1932)

    • Olivier Messiaen: Fantaisie for violin og klaver (1933)

    • Olivier Messiaen: Vocalise (1935) for cello og klaver

    • Francis Poulenc: Sonate for klarinet og klaver (1962)

    • Sergei Prokovief: Sonate for cello og klaver op. 119 (1949)

    • Gordon Jacob: Miniature Suite (1956)

    • Camille Saint-Saëns: Klarinetsonate op. 167 (1921)

    • Erik Satie: Ting set fra højre og venstre (uden briller) for violin og klaver (1914)

    • Anton Webern: 2 stykker for cello og klaver (1899)

    • Anton Webern: Tre små stykker op. 11 for klaver og cello (1914)

    • Ralph Vaughan Williams: Six Studies in English Folk Song (1926)

      Solo

    • Lili Boulanger: Tre stykker for klaver (1914)

    • Frank Bridge: Winter Pastoral for piano

    • Frank Bridge: At Dawn for left hand

    • Peter Bruun: The lantern out of door - Tre cellostudier (2020) (uropførelse)

    • Claude Debussy: Suite Bergamasque (1890/1905)

    • Sofia Gubaidulina: 10 preludier for solocello (1974)

    • Ligeti: Sonate for solo cello (1953)

    • Carl Nielsen: Chaconne for klaver op. 32 (1916)

    • Per Nørgård: Akilles og Skildpadden (1983)

    • Einouhani Rautavaara (1928-2016): Ikonit for klaver (1955)

    • Poul Ruders: Tattoo for One (1984)

    • Poul Ruders: Bel Canto (2004)

    • Poul Ruders: Etuder for klaver

    • Poul Ruders: Bravour Studien - l´Homme armé (1976)

    • Igor Stravinsky: Tre stykker for soloklarinet (1919)

    • Bent Sørensen: Vuggeviser for klaver (2000)

    • Iannis Xenakis: Paille in the Wind for cello og klaver (1992)