Danish String Quartet

Describing themselves as “your friendly neighborhood string quartets with above average amounts of beard,” the Grammy Award-nominated Danish String Quartet combines a down-to-earth sensibility with an astounding unity of sound that has placed them firmly within the ranks of the world’s finest string quartets. The three Danes and one Norwegian return for their third appearance on our series with a program that showcases their uncanny ability to combine finesse and spontaneity – blurring the line between classical repertoire and folk tunes by bringing a sense of urgency and purity to every note they play. By pairing arrangements of Scandinavian folk music with the court dance that inspired Purcell’s kaleidoscopic variations, the gypsy-inflected spirit of one of Haydn’s first quartet masterpieces, and the musical tribute Shostakovich created in memory of his first wife, the ensemble will remind us of the humanity at the core of all music-making.