Capriccio for flute and piano

Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817–1890) was the most important Danish musician of his generation: a distinguished composer, conductor, violinist, organist, and educator who became a central figure in Scandinavian musical nationalism during the Romantic era.
Born in Copenhagen, Gade began his career as a violinist in the Royal Danish Orchestra. His early works quickly showed significant promise. His breakthrough came with his first symphony, which was rejected in Denmark but championed by Felix Mendelssohn in Germany. Gade traveled to Leipzig, where Mendelssohn premiered the symphony in 1843, launching Gade's international career.
Gade worked closely with Mendelssohn, serving as assistant conductor of the prestigious Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and even briefly taking over as principal conductor after Mendelssohn's sudden death in 1847.
Political tensions due to the First Schleswig War forced Gade to return to Copenhagen in 1848. Back in Denmark, he became the leading force in Danish musical life. He held various prestigious positions: he was the director of the Copenhagen Music Society, an organist, and a professor at the new Copenhagen Conservatory, which he helped found with the composer Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann.
Gade’s music is strongly influenced by the German Romantic tradition of Mendelssohn and Schumann, but he infused it with a distinct Scandinavian flavor, incorporating Danish and Norwegian folk tunes and a Nordic lyrical melancholy.
Major Works: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 5 ("Spring Awakening"), dramatic cantata Elverskud (The Elf-King's Daughter), Op. 30, and Efterklange af Ossian (Echoes of Ossian) Overture.