Program Books/Danish String Quartet
Danish String Quartet

Danish String Quartet

The Danish String Quartet celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2022–23, and the Grammy-nominated quartet continues to assert its preeminence among the world’s finest string quartets. Formed when its members were in their teens, the group is renowned for impeccable musicianship, sophisticated artistry, exquisite clarity of ensemble, and, above all, and an unmatched ability to play as one. Performances are characterized by a rare musical spontaneity, and the players exude a palpable joy in music-making that has made the group one of today’s most highly acclaimed and in-demand classical quartets, performing sold-out concert halls around the world.

This season, the Danish String Quartet continues its Doppelgänger Project, an ambitious four-year international commissioning project that pairs world premieres with late major chamber works by Schubert. This season’s new work, by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, premiered earlier this month. The Doppelgänger Project is commissioned by the Danish String Quartet with the support of Cal Performances, Carnegie Hall, UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures, the Vancouver Recital Society, Flagey in Brussels, and Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam. The Danish Quartet performs 28 concerts in North American this season over the course of three separate tours and is Artist in Residence at London’s Wigmore Hall.

The Danish String Quartet’s most recent recording project is PRISM, a series of five discs on ECM New Series that explores the symbiotic musical and contextual relationships between Bach fugues, Beethoven string quartets, and works by later composers. The most recent release is PRISM IV (2022), which was an “Editor’s Choice” in Limelight magazine. Slated for release on ECM in 2023 are a disc of traditional Scandinavian folk music and PRISM V.

The Danish Quartet was named Musical America’s 2020 Ensemble of the Year; awarded the Borletti-Buitoni Trust in 2016; named BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists in 2013; appointed to the Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two); and received the Carl Nielsen Prize, Denmark’s highest cultural honor.

www.danishquartet.com.