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There is a very beautiful, Danish song, with the Danish title "I skovens dybe, stille ro" - (poorly) translated as "In the deep, quiet calm of the forest".

I have been looking for a simple, unadorned rendition of it. There are several versions on youtube, but they are all some sort of 'artistic', rhythmic arrangement that I feel are entirely the wrong thing. I find Sissel Kjyrkjebø's rendition particularly embarrassing, just to give you an impression of what I don't like.

The text and the melody are both meditative and simple, best sung by a simple voice, but with deep feeling, quite possibly without accompaniment. Is there any such version available?

==EDIT==

Thank you both for your answers - I feel I ought to comment a bit and explain myself. So, my background first: I grew up in Denmark, but moved and am no longer a Danish citizen. I do miss aspects of Denmark, however, and when I get nostalgic, I listen to songs I remember; the Danish often appear contemptious of norms and authority, and can display a sort of blaring disregard for others, but they/we also have a gentle, poetic (and slightly embarrassed) side which comes out sometimes in wonderful lyrics and powerfully simple tunes. Unfortunately, the two sides collide to produce "modern/jazzed up" versions of otherwise good songs, and it seems particularly pernicious when it comes to this partidular song.

Right, the rant is almost done; my excuse is that I have so-called perfect pitch. This doesn't mean that I can identify every musical tone by name - I remember the first time I heard a good melody, the pitch, rhythm and everything, and that is then the 'correct' one for me, and I have a hard time accepting versions that are not the same. I'm probably mildly autistic.

Here's my thoughts on the suggested versions in the answers, and again a thanks for the answers:

Anette Kruse: Basically OKish, but seems hesitating and uncertain because of the slow tempo and odd syncopations.

Danish National Radio Choir: Good - spot on. Faithful rendition, but one high note is very slightly off.

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen: Unsufferable - too jazzy and slow. It oozes a feeling of "ain't we just that cool".

Scott Hamilton Quartet: Unsufferable - like jazz on a foghorn. I like certain types of jazz and a well-played saxophone can be extremely good, but ...

Emmelie de Forest: Breathless little-girl voice, slightly rushed, and the pronunciation oddly off here and there.

Søs Fenger: Drags along tediously; seems to over-pronounce every word. It's a real shame - she could clearly have sung it really well.

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  • How about some links to some of the renditions you're talking about? A link to an article or something about the song would be nice, too, e.g. da.wikisource.org/wiki/I_skovens_dybe,_stille_ro
    – mlibby
    Feb 27, 2020 at 15:36
  • See the last paragraph of the Danish-language Wikipedia article on the song, which lists several renditions (recorded performances or printed arrangements); perhaps one of those would work for you: da.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_skovens_dybe,_stille_ro
    – mlibby
    Feb 27, 2020 at 15:45
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    @mlibby No, alas, none of them are what I am looking for. It is a sad trend that celebrities try to spice up traditional songs - a bit like when celebrity chefs go "What this icecream needs is some garlic and a few olives". It is easy to hide a lack of inspiration behind jazzy rhythms and expensive artists, who feel a need for appearing 'intellectual'; there is a whole other level of skill to singing a simple song convincingly and genuinely.
    – j4nd3r53n
    Feb 28, 2020 at 10:01

2 Answers 2

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I find the following simple, straightforward, and very appealing (list first, videos follow)

  1. Anette Kruse: solo voice, self-accompanied with light guitar
  2. Danish National Radio Choir: uncluttered arrangement, nicely harmonized
  3. Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass) with Oscar Peterson (piano): straightforward statement, nothing flashy
  4. Scott Hamilton Quartet [Scott Hamilton (tnr) Jan Lundgren (pno) Hans Backenroth (bass) Kristen Leith (drs)]
  5. Emmelie de Forest: solo voice with just a touch of ukulele

Anette Kruse

Danish National Radio Choir

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen

Scott Hamilton Quartet

Emmelie de Forest

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  • I have accepted your answer +1 because not only have you put a good deal of thought and effort into it, but I also find the Danish Nationa Radio Choir very much to my liking. I hadn't come across that one, so thank you! I feel the answers deserve more comment than I can give here, so I'll add this to an edit.
    – j4nd3r53n
    Nov 13, 2020 at 7:31
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Søs Fenger has a version that seems pretty simple & unadorned, although not unaccompanied:

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