Courtesy photo.
The renowned chamber ensemble returns with music by Franz Schubert and the U.S. premiere of an Arts & Lectures co-commission by Anna Thorvaldsdóttir
SUMMARY
- Thursday, April 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Campbell Hall
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- The Grammy-nominated quartet will return to Campbell Hall with the U.S. premiere of Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s newest work, Rituals, paired with major chamber works by Schubert.
- Thorvaldsdóttir’s Rituals was co-commissioned by UCSB Arts & Lectures
- This program was made possible by gifts to the A&L Commission of New Work Endowment Fund
- Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
- $30–$45 General Public / $15 UCSB and All Students (Current student ID required)
- Tickets & Info: www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
“Their command of the score is absolute… impressively cohesive.” The New York Times
“There are simply two kinds of string quartets: the Danish, and the others.”Boston Classical Review
Frederik Øland, violin
Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violin
Asbjørn Nørgaard, viola
Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, cello
SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents the Danish String Quartet on Thursday, April 13 at 7 p.m. at Campbell Hall. “One of the best quartets before the public today” (The Washington Post), the Danish returns with the third concert in its Doppelgänger Project, pairing Schubert’s “Rosamunde” and “Quartettsatz” quartets with a newly commissioned work by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdóttir. One of the most original voices of her generation, Thorvaldsdóttir wields a “seemingly boundless textural imagination” (The New York Times) to create captivating musical landscapes at once grand and personal.
Related Education Event:
Pre-concert Talk by Derek Katz, UCSB Associate Professor of Musicology
6 PM Mosher Alumni House, UCSB
FREE to event ticket holders
Danish String Quartet: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
ABOUT THE 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 they were in their teens, they are renowned for impeccable musicianship, sophisticated artistry, exquisite clarity of ensemble, and, above all, an unmatched ability to play as one. Performances are characterized by a rare musical spontaneity, giving audiences the sense of hearing even treasured canon repertoire as if for the first time. They exude a palpable joy in music-making that has made them one of today’s most highly acclaimed and in-demand classical quartets, performing to sold-out concert halls around the world. Their inventive and intriguing programming and repertoire choices have produced critically acclaimed original projects and commissions as well as popular arrangements of Scandinavian folk music.
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 Shostakovich, Schnittke, Bartok, Mendelssohn, and Webern. Four of the five recordings have been released on ECM, and the fifth, PRISM V, is slated for 2023. The most recently released is PRISM IV (2022), which was an “Editor’s Choice” in Limelight magazine. The Quartet’s discography reflects the ensemble’s special affinity for Scandinavian composers, with the complete quartets of Carl Nielsen (DaCapo, 2007 and 2008) and Adès, Nørgård & Abrahamsen, their debut on ECM in 2016. They also released two discs of traditional Scandinavian folk music, Wood Works (DaCapo, 2014) and Last Leaf (ECM, 2017), which was one of the top classical albums of the year, as chosen by NPR, Spotify and The New York Times, among others. A third folk recording is planned for release in 2023 on ECM.
The Quartet takes an active role in reaching new audiences through special projects. In 2007, they established the DSQ Festival, which takes place in intimate and informal settings in Copenhagen. In 2016, they inaugurated a concert series, Series of Four, in which they both perform and invite colleagues to appear.
They are the recipients of many awards and prestigious appointments, including Musical America’s 2020 Ensemble of the Year and the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. The Quartet was named in 2013 as BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists and appointed to The Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two). The Quartet was awarded the 2010 NORDMETALL-Ensemble Prize at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival in Germany, and in 2011, they received the Carl Nielsen Prize, the highest cultural honor in Denmark.
Violinists Frederik Øland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørenson and violist Asbjørn Nørgaard met as children at a music summer camp where they played soccer and made music together. As teenagers, they began the study of classical chamber music and were mentored by Tim Frederiksen of Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Music. In 2008, the three Danes were joined by Norwegian cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin.
About UCSB Arts & Lectures
Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) is the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A&L annually presents more than a hundred public events, from critically acclaimed concerts and dance performances by world-renowned artists to talks by groundbreaking authors and film series at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” A&L also oversees an outreach program that brings visiting artists and speakers into local classrooms and other venues for master classes, open rehearsals, discussions and more, serving K-12 students, college students and the general public.
Tickets are $30 – $45: General Public / $15: UCSB and All Students (Current student ID required)
For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or purchase online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
Event Sponsor: Anonymous
Made possible by gifts to the A&L Commission of New Work Endowment Fund
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
Special thanks to KCSB 91.9 FM
UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges our Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli for their generous support of the 2022-2023 season.