Danish String Quartet - Thomas Adès, Per Nørgård, Hans Abrahamsen (2016) Hi-Res

The Danish String Quartet has had some wildly original programming ideas; here they settle for just a well-thought-out set of contemporary pieces. All three of these string quartets are early works by composers who have since gone on to renown; at the time of the album's 2016 release, Hans Abrahamsen was gaining lots of attention from well beyond his native Denmark. The listener is apt to be struck by how well the two outer works on the program go together; even though Thomas Adès' Arcadiana for string quartet, Op. 12, has an elaborate set of titles and extramusical associations, it is a perfect counterpart to the abstract 10 Preludes of Abrahamsen. Each consists of a set of movements, tonal but not having that as its main focus, that explore a single musical idea. For both composers, references to the past float by but don't stick. The elegantly contrapuntal Quartetto Breve of Per Norgard, who was Abrahamsen's teacher, has the role of an interlude. The playing of the quartet itself, tense but relaxing periodically into utter lightness, is a major attraction, as is the crystalline sound from ECM, under the direction of the great Manfred Eicher. Highly recommended.