The Danish Quartet is a name which has been carried by four Danish quartets:
Den Danske Kvartet
1935 the Danish Quartet was a quartet for flute, violin, cello and piano which was active 1935-1957. Members included:
Holger Gilbert-Jespersen, flute.
Erling Bloch, violin.
Torben Anton Svendsen, cello.
Holger Lund Christiansen, piano.
The Quartet released several 78s, including Handel's Trio Sonata No.7, in C minor. Erling Bloch had earlier founded, in 1933, the Erling Bloch Quartet, a traditional string quartet comprising Erling Bloch and Lavard Friisholm, violins, Hans Kassow, viola, Torben Anton Svendsen, cello. Among other recordings the Erling Bloch Quartet recorded the Nielsen String Quartet No.3 in 1946.
Le Quatuor Danois
1949-1983 Den Nye Danske Kvartet, known in English media as The Danish Quartet, and in their releases on the Valois label of Michel Bernstein as the Quatuor Danois. The ensemble was the first Danish state ensemble with educational duties 1967-1978, and was under the patronage of King Frederick IX of Denmark. Members included:
first violin: Arne Svendsen 1949-1983.
second violin: Reidar Knudsen 1949-1954, Hans Nielsen 1954-1959, Palle Heichelmann 1959-1977, Wladimir Marschwinski 1977-1983.
Knud Frederiksen, viola.
Jørgen Jensen 1949-1959, Pierre Renè Honnens 1959-1977, Gert von Bülow 1977-1979 and Niels Ullner 1979-1983.
The Danish Quartet
Active from 1985-1996 as Den Danske Strygekvartet. The quartet recorded the Carl Nielsenstring quartets for Kontrapunkt 1992
Tim Frederiksen, violin, leader.
Arne Balk-Møller, violin.
Claus Myrup, viola
Nils Sylvest Jeppesen 1985-1988, Henrik Brendstrup 1988-, cello.
This Danish String Quartet made its debut at the Copenhagen Summer Festival in 2002. In 2012, TheNew York Times selected the quartet’s concert as a highlight of the year, saying the performance featured “one of the most powerful renditions of Beethoven’s Opus 132 String Quartet that I’ve heard live or on a recording.” In 2013, they began a three-year appointment in Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two Program. The quartet was named as a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist for 2013-15. Since 2007, the group has curated its own annual festival —DSQ Festival— in Nyboder, Copenhagen. 2016 will mark the beginning of Series of Four, the quartet's new concert series in the concert hall of The Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen. Violinists Frederik Øland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen and violist Asbjørn Nørgaard met as children at a music summer camp where they played both football and music together, eventually making the transition into a serious string quartet in their teens and studying at Copenhagen’s Royal Academy of Music. In 2008, the three Danes were joined by Norwegian cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin. The Danish String Quartet was primarily taught and mentored by Professor Tim Frederiksen and have participated in master classes with the Tokyo and Emerson String Quartets, Alasdair Tait, Paul Katz, Hugh Maguire, Levon Chilingirian and Gábor Takács-Nagy. Current Members:
Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violin
Frederik Øland, violin
Asbjørn Nørgaard, viola
Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, cello
Discography:
Last Leaf
Adès, Nørgård & Abrahamsen
Brahms, Fuchs: Clarinet Quintets with clarinetist Sebastian Manz
Wood Works
Haydn, Brahms
Nielsen: String Quartets, Vol. 2
Nielsen: String Quartets, Vol. 1
Awards:
Danish Radio P2 Chamber Music Competition, First Prize and Audienze Prize
Trondheim International String Quartet Competition, shared First Prize and Audience Prize
Charles Hennen International Chamber Music Competition, First Prize
Vagn Holmboe String Quartet Competition, First Prize
London International String Quartet Competition, First Prize, Beethoven Prize, Sidney Griller Award, 20th century Prize, Menton Festival Prize
