Festival 1998: Neoclassical architecture and the dark sides of the Golden Age – the psychological dimension of Romanticism

The 1994 and 1996 festivals emphasised the common idiom within art, music and literature of the Golden Age. The 1998 festival, attended by 63,000 visitors, focused on the Neoclassical architecture of Golden Age Copenhagen.

Neoclassical architecture was the public face of the Golden Age and reached its pinnacle in the 19th century. Although the style was international, it was eminently featured in Copenhagen, which may be due to the fact that Neoclassical Copenhagen rose from the ashes of the three great fires of 1794, 1795 and 1807. The subsequent construction boom was the greatest the city had ever experienced.

Neoclassical architecture is characterised by simplicity, symmetry and a preoccupation with antiquity. In Copenhagen, C. F. Harsdorff and his accomplished protégé C.F. Hansen masterminded many of the city’s grand Neoclassical designs. Harsdorff’s Neoclassical façade décor set the standards for the reconstruction of Copenhagen following the devastating fires, and C.F. Hansen influenced the Italianate colours and classical idiom of the times following the bombardment of the city by the British in the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807. His exceptional talent is most evident in the reconstruction of Christiansborg Palace, of which the Christiansborg Palace Church is the only remaining structure, and the reconstructed Copenhagen Cathedral, the Church of our Lady, on the ruins of the medieval cathedral destroyed during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807. Additionally, his city magistrate still crowns Nytorv Square. The classical influence in Copenhagen is much the result of C.F. Hansen’s vision. In fact, he was the chief arbiter in matters of architecture from 1784 until 1844.

• The 1998 Golden Days Festival featured C. F. Hansen’s work at the exhibition in the Round Tower entitled Klassicisme - Arkitekturen i København på C.F. Hansens tid (Classicism – Architecture in Copenhagen at the time of C.F. Hansen).
• The festival also highlighted the pictorial art of Johan Thomas Lundbye. His Romanticist paintings represented nature as an expression of the divine. 19th century Romanticism within art, emphasising sensibility, nature and the exotic, departed from the restraint and regularity of form within Neoclassical architecture. Johan Thomas Lundbye’s works were displayed at the Hirschsprungske Collection at an exhibition titled Tegninger og Huletanker - Johan Thomas Lundbye 1818-1848 (Drawings and Grotto Notions - Johan Thomas Lundbye 1818-1848).
• Among the other prominent events at the 1998 festival were the symphonic performances of Liden Kirsten by J.P.E. Hartmann as well as The Elf Mirror and The Elf King’s Daughter by Niels W. Gade at the Danish Radio Concert Hall and furthermore the performance of August Bournonville’s ballet Napoli at the Royal Theatre.

Coinciding with the 1998 festival, a book entitled Klassicisme i København, was published in Danish by Gyldendal. The book was also published in English entitled Classicism in Copenhagen. The book is currently unavailable.