Chamber Music Sedona will present one of the hottest tickets on the international music scene in its Sedona debut – the Danish String Quartet comprised of three Danes and one Norwegian, Sunday February 2, 2:30pm at St. John Vianney Church as a Super Bowl teaser. The Danish embodies the quintessential elements of a chamber music ensemble and has established a reputation for possessing an integrated sound, impeccable intonation and judicious balance. The concert is sponsored by Aiden & Linda Ferry and Marilyn Thaden Dexter.
“I first heard the foursome in NYC January 2013 and was absolutely blown off my rocker,” said executive director Bert Harclerode. “Not only do they have an absolute artistic command, you’d never guess them to be classically trained artists, and by all means aren’t your ‘typical artists’.” Artists include Frederik Øland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violins; Asbjørn Nørgaard, viola, and Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, cello.
“We are three Danes and one Norwegian cellist,” according to their web page, “making this a truly Scandinavian endeavor. We are often joking about ourselves being modern Vikings – perhaps a touch more harmless than our ancestors – we are not pillaging cities or razing the English coastline! We are simply your friendly neighborhood string quartet with above average amounts of beard. The three of us met very early in our lives in the Danish countryside at an amazing summer camp for enthusiastic amateur musicians. Not yet teenagers, we were the youngest players, so we hung out all the time playing football and chamber music together. During the regular school year we would get together often to play music and just have fun. We became best friends. In 2001, Professor Tim Frederiksen of The Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen got in touch with us and started coaching us on a regular basis. All of the sudden, at the ages of 15 and 16, we were a serious string quartet. It all happened so fast that none of us seemed to notice the transition. As a string quartet, we find ourselves at the core of the classical music world. On a daily basis we delve deeply into works by great masters such as Beethoven and Mozart, but we also play the occasional folk gig. ….if you want to know more about all this stuff, check out the ‘press‘ page at www.DanishQuartet.com, where you can download a PDF with all the text you could hope for.”
With its technical and interpretive talents matched by an infectious joy for music-making, the quartet is in demand worldwide by concert and festival presenters alike. Since making its debut in 2002 at the Copenhagen Festival, the group of musical friends has demonstrated a passion for Scandinavian composers, who they frequently incorporate into
adventurous contemporary programs, while also proving skilled and profound performers of the classical masters. Last season, the New York Times selected their concert as a highlight of the year: “One of the most powerful renditions of Beethoven’s Opus 132 String Quartet that I’ve heard live or on a recording.” This scope of talent has secured them a three-year appointment in the coveted Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two Program beginning in the 2013-14 season and also named as a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist for 2013-15.
“If you’re going to see one program this season, this is the ticket!” exclaimed Harclerode. “Readers can experience the Danish on line at www.DanishQuartet.com where many YouTube videos exemplify the spirit and zest these young men bring to the world. Not only do they perform the master works, they also get off the paper with amazing renditions of folk tunes and other improvised works!”
The matinee program will include Quartet No. 1, “Ten Preludes” by Hans Abrahmsen’s; Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 13 by Felix Mendelssohn; and Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, Op. 132 by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Ms. Marion Maby will present a pre-concert talk from 1:30-2pm in the Don Bosco Room free to all ticket holders. Immediately before the concert Harclerode will hold an informal and enlightening talk with the artists from 2:20-2:30pm.
Tickets are $40 reserved and $20 general admission and may be purchased on line at http://chambermusicsedona.org/concertsDetail.php?10-26. Sedona youth to age 18 are free of charge made possible with support from Aspen Watkins & Diesel.
Chamber Music Sedona’s 31st Season is made possible with support from The City of Sedona, The Arizona Commission on the Arts with funding from the State of Arizona and the National Endowment for the Arts, The Sedona Community Foundation, The Verde Valley Medical Center, Aspey Watkins & Diesel PLLC and WESTAF.
