Concert with Akela

Address

Kirkestræde 2A,
4300 Holbæk

Concert with Akela

Description

AKELA | FABER Danish songs retold Do you also love den blå anemone, solen er så rød, mor and Danmark nu blunder? The four members of AKELA have often missed the chance to listen to Danish songs in a classical, instrumental format. Without words, but with all the closeness and depth the songs hold. Although as a classical string quartet they often work with large and complex works, they find that some of the most moving things are to be found in the simple Danish melodies - such as Carl Nielsen's songs, where text and melody meet in a special, pure union. That is why composer Phillip Faber has created unique arrangements of 12 songs for AKELA, in which the quartet's musical depth brings renewed intensity, presence and richness of sound to the familiar material. The aim is to shed new light on the Danish song treasury by interpreting well-known songs through the string quartet's living expression and nuanced musical language. The project consists of a nationwide concert series of 11 concerts, where the music is presented at 6 evening concerts and 5 concerts with local choirs. AKELA feels that a concert is at its strongest when the programme contains both the simple and the complex, something that moves the audience entirely intuitively and something that perhaps requires more time. At each concert a selection of the Danish songs is therefore combined with a larger classical quartet work that mirrors them. At the concerts, which are called Nordiske toner, Sibelius's String Quartet No. 2 is set alongside songs about the Nordic countries. About AKELA AKELA was formed in 2019 at Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium. Since then the quartet has explored the string quartet repertoire with curiosity and presence at festivals, masterclasses, competitions and concerts in China, Canada and all over Europe. AKELA studies in the soloist class at DKDM with Tim Frederiksen and Den Danske Strygekvartet; previously they studied together at Musikhochschule Lübeck with Heime Müller. The four members are lifelong friends and share a deep musical and personal bond. AKELA performs in a wide range of contexts - from school and care-home concerts to concerts in the country's major concert halls. Among other things they have played and developed children's concerts for Kulturmødet Mors and Levende Musik i Skolen. Since 2023 they have been part of MERITA, a European initiative that reinterprets classical concert experiences. The quartet received the Leonie Sonning Talent Prize in 2024 and the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Talent Prize in 2023.