Keel Road

The Danish String Quartet (three Danes, one Norwegian) have long been fascinated by the power of northern European folk music. In Keel Road, they reach across the North Sea from the Nordic countries over to the Faroe Islands, England and on to Ireland. Their adventure takes them on a discovery of local heroes and individual cultures, but also our commonalities which this incredible music brings into sharp focus. What makes this collection so compelling are the Quartet’s own arrangements, consistently fresh, modern and packed with harmonic inflections and twists that continually bend and delight the ear. The performances are full-throated and driven, underlined by a deep affection for this music. Their voyage sets out from Ireland with “Mabel Kelly” by the blind Celtic harpist Turlough O’Carolan before sailing across to Fair Isle (south of Scotland’s Shetland Islands) and on to Denmark and Sweden, where we encounter cittern player Ale Carr’s thrillingly addictive “Stormpolskan”. Other highlights include O’Carolan’s “Captain O’Kane” and the English traditional “As I Walked Out”, jauntily yet exquisitely arranged.