Dogs put their best paw forward to perform Mozart with orchestra at Haydn Festival in Denmark

Animals and pets have outdone themselves when it comes to surprising us humans. Each day, unique stories are popping up on how different animals have done the exceptional. When it comes to dogs, they’re not just furry and cuddly friends but more. Canines are long known for their athletics, intellect, behavior and so much more. They have surpassed several animals and continue to do so by raising the bar higher. BBC shared that there are dogs that also double as musicians!

The article mentioned that this year’s Haydn music festival in Copenhagen, Denmark, did not just include skilled human musicians but also canine accompanists who added to the performance with their barks. The festival goes back to the 18th century and celebrates classical music from world-famous composers like Mozart and Beethoven. The festival sees a grandeur of music from skilled composers and musicians, both new and old who try to bring back the glory of 18th century music. 

The concept of having dogs accompanying the performance was the brainchild of Adam Fischer, the chief conductor. Fischer was reportedly honoring the composer’s wish by getting bay hounds to accompany musicians on the piece "Hunting Symphony" by the distinguished Leopold who is the famous Mozart’s father. There had been auditions for the dogs which were conducted by Fisher himself where the paw buddies displayed their talent. Fischer said in an interview with BBC that the symphony has three movements. “In the last movement, there will be the hunt and then we will hear the shooting and the dogs will start to bark around the scene,” Fisher explained. “We will have three dogs on the scene that will bark on signals around the orchestra.” 

Though the idea of having dogs in an orchestra seems unusual, it is spectacular to watch them in a symphony with the music. The dogs chosen post the auditions were Cookie, Sophus and Sica. They were given the duty of learning to bark on signals to harmonize with the orchestra. Their owners were majorly responsible for helping train them and soon enough they were ready to be the featured stars. Cookie’s owner, Helle Lauvring said to Euro News in an interview, “If I had to be there all by myself, I think I would be nervous but all the attention is on her (Cookie), she is the star. I'm just behind her with all the treats.” 

To simply think that dogs are now part of an orchestra is truly mesmerizing. It pushes us to think, “What’s next?” Andreas Vetö, director of the orchestra took to social media to share a few glimpses of the performance. He captioned his post, “Energetic concerts with a top playing orchestra and conductor! Lovely soloists, Copenhagen Boys Choir, Tivoli-Garden, young musicians and singers on stage of all ages as well as dogs.” Even on other platforms, the idea of dogs in an orchestra is quite dazzling and wonderful. The canine pals have indeed set the bar higher."