Wood Works

Four excellent string musicians playing incredible arrangements of Danish folk songs. Experimental, refreshing, and fun to listen to. Highly recommend it.

DANISH STRING QUARTET. Wood Works. DaCapo. 2014. $14.95. Rune Tonsgaard Sorensen, Frederik Oland, violin; Asjberg Norgaard, viola; Fredrik Schoyen Sjolin, cello.“Folk music is the music of everywhere and everyone.” That’s the first sentence in the liner notes to Wood Works, a musically charming, tasteful and thoroughly well played homage to Scandinavian folk music. The variety of the pieces played is astonishing to someone like me, who has no prior experience with this music at all. (Actually, that’s not quite true. I did recognize “Ack Varmeland, du skona,” but only because I have it on two jazz albums under the title “Dear Old Stockholm.”) There are reels, waltzes, jigs and polkas, and one piece (“O Fredrik, O Fredrick”) that sounds at first like the Kronos Quartet playing Steve Reich. Some of the pieces are subdued and lyrical (cf. especially the three parts of the “Sonderho Bridal Trilogy”), others rollicking and rowdy. They even comment about “the funky possibilities” of the dance, “Old Reinlender from Sonndala,” which sounds like a particularly muscular schottische. This is one of the best albums of music I have heard in a long time. Everything is perfect in it: their choice of tunes, the harmonious blending and echoing of the violins, viola and cello, and above all, the musicians’ inspired decision to give their not always so simple native music an audience.

I just recently learned and found the Danish String Quartet, one through a feature in a magazine and then through NPR radio playing their music. I was leaning towards this Wood Works album being of Scandinavian influences in the traditional folk sense, Norwegian myself and loving the music classical and traditional. What a treat and delight this album is! The album starts off in a haunting tone, reflective and sets the Scandinavian spirit in a dark yet beautiful mood. Then it moves on from there with spirited dances, jigs, and tradtional folk tones, some even will recognize who are familiar with Scandinavian music. In fact I can't stop playing the album, the groups playing is fantastic and evokes the feelings and sounds of Norway, Sweden, Denmark so very well. Its like a traditional Scandinavian koltbord or smorgasbord filled with moving material and a fresh sound for these old pieces and stories that are living within them. What has me so impressed is its a string quartet playing traditional tunes, yet while listening you forget its a string quartet. I can't recommend this album enough. I would love to see a follow up album to this one, they cover the Scandinavian feelings and sounds so well and you can tell by the playing that they enjoy what they do and have the knowledge and care for the music they are showcasing and sharing. Thank you Danish String Quartet, amazing job, more please!

A very short history of popular Scandinavian music in America: Rosenfole (1989); Nordisk San (1991); The Sweet Sunny North (Vol 1, 1994; Vol 2, 1996]; Septentrio (2013), and now (2014) Wood Works. The Danish String Quartet, a classical ensemble, arranged Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish traditional and folk songs and dances to produce a beautiful, sweet, haunting, and somewhat melancholic album, even when the dances swirl and jump. Most of the folk music in this region centers on the fiddle; thus, it is appropriate for a quartet to expand the harmonies and embellish the simple melodies. Ditties now are transformed into quasi sonatas, rondos, chaconnes, and renaissance gigues. [I really do not know the musical structures, but you get the drift.] A flugelhorn makes a guest appearance in track 7, Five Sheep, Four Goats. Counterpoint and jazzlike swing follow in a contemporary piece, O Fredrik, O Fredrik. The schottis, is a rhythm that alludes to Scotland; this wide European musical style is the dance of track 12, which came to Norway from Germany. Go figure. Wood Works is a wonderful album that will please world music fans as well as classical music enthusiasts. This unique fusion is charming.

A risk in globalization is the deterioration or disappearance of cultural aspects that have ancient and unique characteristics like launguages and folk music. Even in the “classical” genre, grafting such folk melodies was fairly common albeit in small doses. Here the Danes continue this tradition seen in early composers like Haydn, Beethoven, Dvorak, Liszt grafting in Hungarian folk fragments but especially in the lifelong work of Bartok with Kodaly. As such the music tends more simple, peasant, organic. It is a place for imperfect and community celebration, not individual, perfected virtuosity. You feel such spirit in what the Danish Quartet brings. It comes off well and makes a broadening repertoire beyond the well-known classical quartets of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Shostakovich. Much credit to these Danes for their tasteful, spirited performances that feel more like a impromptu pub performance than a over-produced recording studio session. Plus some surprise “guest” instruments bring an unexpected twist to the music. Their instruments sound rich, earthy, clear and balanced. Yet, the folk compositions left me somewhat unsatisfied. Compositions - 4 stars; Performance - 5 stars; Sound quality - 5 stars.

I was recommended this as an introduction to the quartet. I am now working my way through the catalogue and subsequent CDs and discs. Just so good.

Wonderfully uplifting.

Ich liebe diese Musik und ich liebe dieses Orchester.Wenn man einfache, traditionelle Musik mit absoluter Professionalität umsetzt und spielt und es dann nochwarm und authentisch klingt, dann ist es einfach nur gut und das ist diese CD hier.Könnte ich in Dauerschleife hören! Meine CD des Jahres!

This is the second recording by the Danish String Quartet that I bought. It is their interpretation of melodies from Danish traditional music. I find myself listening to it over and over again. Definitely a quartet to watch.

This is great stuff. Classic folk tunes that your brain and psyche knows well. Reinvented and presented in a light and airy fashion that seeps right back into your mind in a different way. Seriously contemplative music or while studying or working we keep finding ourselves pausing to smile. Thanks. Best album we've bought since do not remember when.