Matador is a 2007 Danish musical based on the 1978-82 television series of the same name. It was first performed on 10 June 2007 at the Copenhagen Opera House. The production was created by Peter Langdale (producer), Bent Fabricius-Bjerre (composer) with lyrics by Clemens Telling. The story is based on Lise Nørgaard's popular TV series first broadcast in 1978. [1] The production was closely associated with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra.
Fabricius-Bjerre had 30 years earlier written the catchy theme tune for the TV series.
The musical tells the story of a number of families in a small town in Zealand before and during the Second World War and the German occupation of Denmark. [2]
The culture of Denmark has a rich scientific and artistic heritage. The astronomical discoveries of Tycho Brahe (1546–1601), Ludwig A. Colding's (1815–1888) neglected articulation of the principle of conservation of energy, and the foundational contributions to atomic physics of Niels Bohr (1885–1962); in this century Lene Vestergaard Hau in quantum physics involving the stopping of light, advances in nano-technology, and contributions to the understanding of Bose-Einstein Condensates, demonstrate the range and endurance of Danish scientific achievement. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), the philosophical essays of Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), the short stories of Karen Blixen, penname Isak Dinesen, (1885–1962), the plays of Ludvig Holberg (1684–1754), modern authors such as Herman Bang and Nobel laureate Henrik Pontoppidan and the dense, aphoristic poetry of Piet Hein (1905–1996), have earned international recognition, as have the symphonies of Carl Nielsen (1865–1931). From the mid-1990s, Danish films have attracted international attention, especially those associated with Dogme 95 like those of Lars Von Trier. Denmark has had a strong tradition of movie making and Carl Theodor Dreyer has been recognised as one of the world's greatest film directors.
Brigitte Nielsen is a Danish actress, model, and singer. She began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton. She subsequently acted in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky IV, later returning to the Rocky series in Creed II (2018). Nielsen married Sylvester Stallone, with whom she starred in the 1986 film Cobra. She played a villain in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and starred as the Black Witch in the 1990s Italian film series Fantaghirò. She later built a career starring in B-movies, hosting TV shows, and appearing on reality shows.
DR, officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enterprise. DR is a founding member of the European Broadcasting Union.
A matador is the central bullfighter who must kill the bull.
Ghita Nørby is a Danish actress with 117 film credits to her name from 1956 to 2005, making her one of the most active Danish actresses ever.
Jonas Bjerre Terkelsbøl is a musician and visual artist from Copenhagen, Denmark, best known as the lead singer of Danish rock band Mew. Bjerre creates animated videos for Mew's live shows. He has an uncommon vocal range, above the average pitch, which has helped contribute to Mew's unique sound, and earned him a Danish Music Award for Danish Male Singer in 2006. He went to school at the international school of Bernadotteskolen and was a student of Aurehøj Amtsgymnasium.
Matador is a Danish TV series produced and shown between 1978 and 1982. It is set in the fictional Danish town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947. It follows the lives of a range of characters from across the social spectrum, focusing specifically on the rivalry between the families of two businessmen: banker Hans Christian Varnæs, an established local worthy, and Mads (Andersen-)Skjern, who arrives in town as a travelling salesman as the series opens, and builds up a large business. The name Matador was taken from the localised edition of the boardgame Monopoly, also the series' tentative English title. In addition, in contemporary Danish a "matador" is often used to describe a business tycoon, in the series referring to the character of Mads Skjern and his craftiness as a self-made entrepreneur.
Køge Boldklub is a Danish football club from Køge, Zealand.
Lise Nørgaard was a Danish journalist and writer known for her precise and often humorous portrayals of Danish cultural life. Nørgaard wrote novels, compilations of essays and short stories. The memoir of her childhood, Kun en pige, became a bestseller in 1992 and is considered her masterpiece. The work was adapted into a feature film in 1995.
Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, better known internationally as Bent Fabric, was a Danish pianist and composer.
The theatre of Denmark continues to thrive thanks to the many theatres in Copenhagen and across the country which put on a wide variety of Danish and foreign performances. The flagship Royal Danish Theatre presents drama, opera, ballet and music. Since the 18th century, Danish playwrights have been successful in attracting wide public interest.
Danish television dramas have come to represent an important and popular aspect of TV broadcasting in Denmark, especially since the 1970s.
Events from the year 1924 in Denmark.
Denmark was represented by Aud Wilken, with the song "Fra Mols til Skagen", at the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 13 May in Dublin. "Fra Mols til Skagen" was chosen as the Danish entry on 25 March.
Nanna Øland Fabricius, better known by her stage name Oh Land, is a Danish-American musician, singer, songwriter, and dancer.
The Robert Honorary Award has been given occasionally since 1986 as one of the Robert Awards by the Danish Film Academy. It is the Danish equivalent of the American Academy Honorary Award.
The Bodil Honorary Award is one of the special awards at the annual Danish Bodil Awards presented by the Danish Film Critics Association. It was awarded for the first time at the 2nd Bodil Awards in 1949, and pro re nata until 1997, since when it has been awarded annually.
Kirsten Olesen is a Danish actress who since 1979 has been with Copenhagen's Royal Danish Theatre. In Denmark, she is known above all for taking the part of Agnes, a housemaid, in the popular television series Matador (1978–1982). Internationally, she has starred in the title role of Lars von Trier's Medea (1988).
Events in the year 2020 in Denmark.
Charlotte Fenger, known by the stage name Søs Fenger, is a Danish vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. Since the mid 1980s she has been one of the most successful names in Danish music. She has released numerous albums, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other groups.