Last Leaf

Danish String Quartet

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Cat No: 4815746

Release Date: 22 September 2017

Label: ECM New Series

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 028948157464

Genres: Classical Folk

Release Date: 15 June 2018

Label: ECM New Series

Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 028948164974

Genres: Classical Folk

Description
The Danish String Quartet is widely recognised as the most exciting young string quartet of the present moment, bringing new insights to contemporary composition and core classical repertoire. In parallel, they have also made surprising and impressive forays into the world of Nordic folk music. Their 2014 album Wood Works (Dacapo Records) was a left-field hit, and audiences around the world have been delighted by concert performances of the music. Now the Danish String Quartet bring their folk project to ECM with a stirring new recording. FÃ¤stan takes off from an unusual Christmas hymn, "Now found is the fairest of roses", published in 1732 by Danish theologian and poet H.A. Brorson. The hymn is set to a mysterious, dark melody: Brorson had chosen an old Lutheran funeral choral to accompany his Christmas hymn, elegantly showing how life and death are always connected. "From here we embark on a travel through the rich fauna of Nordic folk melodies until returning to Brorson in the end," say the DSQ. "It is a journey that could have been made in many different ways, but we believe that we returned with some nice souvenirs. In these old melodies, we find immense beauty and depth, and we can't help but sing them through the medium of our string quartet. Brorson found the fairest of roses, we found a bunch of amazing tunes â€“ and we hope you will enjoy what we did to them." Personnel: Danish String Quartet - Rune Tonsgaard Sorensen (violin, harmonium, piano, glockenspiel); Frederik Oland (violin); Asbjorn Norgaard (viola); Fredrik Schoyen Sjolin (violoncello, double bass)

Description

The Danish String Quartet is widely recognised as the most exciting young string quartet of the present moment, bringing new insights to contemporary composition and core classical repertoire. In parallel, they have also made surprising and impressive forays into the world of Nordic folk music.

For Last Leaf, its second ECM New Series release, the group returns to the texturally rich, emotionally resonant world of Nordic folk, from ages-old Christmas tunes to timeless funeral hymns, from medieval ballads and boat songs to dances of every sort - minuet and waltz, reel and polska. The Danish foursome made custom arrangements of this material, playing the music with the lush tone and virtuoso focus that earned the quartet such praise as "spellbinding" from Strings magazine for its ECM debut.
Following its hugely successful CD release in 2017, Last Leaf is now issued on 180g vinyl with a free download code.

"Gorgeous" - BBC Music Magazine ****
"It is wonderful to hear these superb players let their collective hair down in this collection of (mostly) Scandinavian folk tunes and original material composed in like fashion. This should warm the heart of every fan of fiddling, whether bluegrass, Celtic or Bachian." - New York Times
"This is wonderful on every levelâ€¦ if you only buy one classical album in 2017-- or even this decade-- this is the one to get. Emotional, uplifting, thoughtful, and precise." - David P Weber on Amazon.co.uk
Personnel: Danish String Quartet - Rune Tonsgaard Sorensen (violin, harmonium, piano, glockenspiel); Frederik Oland (violin); Asbjorn Norgaard (viola); Fredrik Schoyen Sjolin (violoncello, double bass)
Tracklisting
Tracklisting