The album, which was released on ECM New Series, honors music from or is influenced by north traditions and traditional music.
Comprising violinists Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen and Frederik Øland, violist Asbjørn Nørgaard, and cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, the Danish String Quartet ( DSQ ) made its ECM debut in 2016.
The group’s most recent album,” Keel Road,” is one of the group’s most recent addition to the ECM New Series. It commemorates a decade of DS Q’s involvement with folk music.
” Folk music are not just a part of our vocabulary, but an important aspect of our personality as musicians”, the trio explained. ” As we came together to form the trio, folk music naturally blended into our practices. We were experimenting with a lot of different sounds, each with a unique twist. Over time, this has developed into a serious effort.
Amongst its conventional items,” Keel Road” includes works of a “folk” soul by DSQ users Sørensen and Sjölin. Additionally, an excerpt from a field recording of the Danish traditional song” En Skomager Har Jeg Været” ( A cobbler I was ) precedes Sørensen’s reflective tune” Once A Shoemaker”.
We embarked on a music excursion that spans the North Sea. For decades, the primary communication network of Northern Europe, the bridge and the web of bygone eras”, DSQ wrote in the media release. ” And brave sailors had repeatedly go the hull road, facilitating a constant exchange of goods, tradition, and music, despite known for its quick upsurges and strong gales.” This album’s music hull road will take us from Denmark and Norway to faraway places like the Faroe Islands, Ireland and England.
” While folk song represents local customs and native stories, it is also the song of everyday and all,” they added”. At the end of the day, our testimonies and our audio remain closely related.
DS Q’s new song features devices including the transfer, dulcimer, bass, and fill violin. Guest musicians include Ale Carr ( on the cittern ) and Nikolaj Busk ( on piano ), who both join the DSQ and Rune ( of the folk trio Dreamers ‘ Circus ) in Carr’s piece” Stormpolskan”, which can be viewed below.
Another runs include those by Turlough O’Carolan, the famous harp from County Meath in the late 17th to first 18th ages, who drew inspiration from regional history and contemporary European artists like Vivaldi and Corelli.
” Keel Road” was recorded at Copenhagen’s Village Recording Studio in November 2022, and was mixed by Munich’s Bavaria Musikstudios in March 2024.
The DS Q’s recent saving projects also include its five-volume PRISM set on ECM, which explores musical and cultural ties between Bach melodies, Beethoven string quartets, and works by Shostakovich, Schnittke, Bartók, Mendelssohn, and Webern.