Over the past decade, the Danish String Quartet has risen precipitously in the ranks of the classical world’s estimation of what a contemporary string quartet should look, behave, and sound like. Fortunately for Santa Barbara and classical music appreciators, the DSQ has also regularly interfaced with audiences here, thanks to the sponsorship of UCSB Arts & Lectures. This unofficial/official residency has included performances of new and old repertoire and the group’s sideline specialty of Scandinavian folk music.
Most impressively, the Danes have been duly engaged in such contemporary meets old masters showcases as their Beethoven-driven “Prisms” and the rewarding “Doppelgänger” series. In the latter case, taking place over the past four years, a foundation of Schubertian focus has been enmeshed with newly-commissioned works relating to Schubert in various ways and through various, well, prisms. A&L is part of a consortium of music presenters on both sides of the Atlantic who have made the series possible, along with Carnegie Hall, Cal Performances, Vancouver Recital Society, Flagey in Brussels and Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam.
When DSQ appears at Campbell Hall on April 10, this substantial series reaches its finale with a brand-new piece by the vastly respected British composer Thomas Adès. To accommodate two quintets on the program, they’ll bring in a special fifth wheel musician for this occasion, Finnish cellist Johannes Rostamo.