The Danish String Quartet belongs to the category of “super quartets” and combines classical masterpieces with folk music from the far north. In doing so, these four top musicians know how to reach a wide audience: seasoned chamber music visitors, as well as folk lovers and curious newcomers. On their site, they summarize their story succinctly. “We are three Danes and one Norwegian cellist, which makes this a truly Scandinavian adventure. With our relatively full beards, we are quite often compared to Vikings. Although we only plunder the English coast very occasionally.”

You can hear what their music sounds like on the 2024 album Keel Road and its recently released follow-up Nordic Tunes. “If you come from the classical corner, you’ll hear folk music served up point-blank. On the other hand, if you are a folkie, you will notice that such a tight-looking string quartet does not sacrifice anything in terms of swing,” the Volkskrant wrote about Keel Road.

Also during this concert, the Danish String Quartet combines classical highlights with the vitality of folk music from Norway, Denmark, Ireland and England. As far as the “classics” are concerned, the program features two absolute tastemakers with Stravinsky’s baroque-inspired Suite Italienne and Ravel’s colorful String Quartet in F – dedicated to Fauré but written in the spirit of Debussy.

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Suite Italienne for string quartet (arr. Danish String Quartet, based on themes from Pulcinella by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi)

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
String Quartet in F

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Traditional: Arrangements and compositions by DSQ