Danish String Quartet to play Beethoven, folk music at Minsky

A quartet celebrated for its wit, joy of making music and technical and interpretive talents will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29 at Minsky Recital Hall at the University of Maine.

The award-winning and popular Danish String Quartet will play a wide range of music, including Beethoven’s No. 8, Op. 59 No. 2, as well as folk music from Nordic countries and “Swans Kissing” for String Quartet, a piece by contemporary Scandinavian composer Rolf Wallin. The piece is based on Swedish painter Hilma af Klint’s 1914 series of paintings titled “The Swan.”

Violinists Frederik Øland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen and violist Asbjørn Nørgaard met as youngsters at a summer music camp. They became serious musicians and studied at Copenhagen’s Royal Academy of Music. And in 2008, Norwegian cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin joined the three Danes.

“Yes, playing string quartets is our job, and yes it is hard work, but we mostly do it for pleasure, like we always did,” the quartet posted on its website.

The New York Times selected the Danish String Quartet’s concerts as highlights of 2012 and 2015. And Robert Battey of The Washington Post wrote, “This is one of the best quartets before the public today.”

Before the concert at 2–2:45 p.m., Anatole Wieck, UMaine professor of music, violin/viola and orchestra; Jack Burt, UMaine associate professor of trumpet; and Marisa Solomon, Bangor Symphony Orchestra cellist, will provide historical context about the concert and composers at Miller’s Café inside the Collins Center for the Arts. And, after the performance, concertgoers and performers are invited to a reception at the cafe.

Tickets for this featured selection in the John I. and Elizabeth E. Patches Chamber Music Series are $35 for adults/seniors and $10 for students. Maine Public is the concert sponsor. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit the CCA website. Also, to purchase tickets or to request an accommodation, call 207.581.1755.