2 Goldstar Member Reviews

Carolyn T.

Definitely not for everyone -- this cutting edge group performed work that was avant garde and intriguing; far from melodic and sometimes painful.

Written on Oct 29 2010

Report as inappropriate

• 0 Good To Know
• 0 I Like Your Writing
• 0 I Went And I Agree

Goldstar Member

Kronos Quartet were out there, exploring the world and their idea of it. Enjoyed it a lot.

Written on Oct 29 2010

Report as inappropriate

• 0 Good To Know
• 0 I Like Your Writing
• 0 I Went And I Agree

More Information About Kronos Quartet: Black Angels

Website

http://www.ybca.org/tickets/production/view.aspx?id=11460

Description

Thu, Oct 28, 7 pm: Pre–Show Talk with Bob Ostertag and Sahba Aminikia, facilitated by San Francisco composer Luciano Chessa.

During the heyday of the classical music avant–garde in the 1960s and '70s, composers believed they had a mandate to reinvent music from the ground up. George Crumb was one of the very few who actually managed to do it. His works — pieces like "Black Angels" written for string quartet in 1970, the centerpiece of this astounding disc by the Kronos Quartet — are perverse and often startling constellations of sound that challenge conventional notions of how music should be organized. 

In this and other Crumb pieces, for example, one doesn't detect clear beginnings or endings; instead, the music is a procession of episodes, dazzling textures, and extreme chords that rarely seem to lead into or connect with one another. The Kronos dives in, and within a minute or so of the first movement, gets deep into Crumb's punishing soundscape — the knotted, crying chords were inspired by the Vietnam war, but the piece conjures any place from which there is no clearly marked exit. The four string players gnaw and chatter as if they're reenacting an aerial attack, yet the juxtapositions of sound register with the force of body blows. Crumb relies heavily on percussion (his scores require players to strike a cymbal with a double bass bow). Though he does notate his work, parts of this piece suggest that the "score" might be a collage. He asks musicians to think in broad shapes, not notes, and the effects he generates can be awesome. They can also be terrifying. 

David Harrington, the first violinist and conceptual force behind the Kronos Quartet, once said that he initially formed the group to play pieces like "Black Angels." Crumb's challenging piece, which is in some ways closer to the howling dissonance of heavy metal than string quartet music, aligns perfectly with the group's sensibility. Keen interpreters of the traditional repertoire, the four musicians are determined to escape its confines, and do this by applying a rock–auteur sensibility to recording projects. Kronos has commissioned notable contemporary classical works, but just as often goes outside of that world. Its concept albums include Monk Suite, devoted to the works of jazz composer–pianist Thelonious Monk, and the terrific Pieces of Africa, which gathers propulsive and often polyrhythmic work from contemporary African composers.

About Kronos Quartet
For more than 30 years, the Kronos Quartet—David Harrington, John Sherba (violins), Hank Dutt (viola) and Jeffrey Zeigler (cello)—has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to expanding the range and context of the string quartet. In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 45 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, collaborating with many of the world's most eclectic composers and performers, and commissioning more than 650 works and arrangements for string quartet.

Kronos has built a compellingly diverse repertoire that includes the work of 20th-century masters (Bartók, Shostakovich, Webern), contemporary composers (Aleksandra Vrebalov, John Adams, Alfred Schnittke), jazz legends (Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk), and artists from even farther afield (rock guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, Azeri vocalist Alim Qasimov, avant-garde saxophonist John Zorn). They have collaborated with the world's foremost composers, including Terry Riley, Philip Glass and Steve Reich, as well as with an array of master musicians from around the globe, such as the Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man; legendary Bollywood "playback singer" Asha Bhosle, Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq; Mexican rockers Café Tacuba; genre defying sound artist and instrument builder Walter Kitundu; the Romanian gypsy band Taraf de Haïdouks; renowned American soprano Dawn Upshaw; and the unbridled British cabaret trio, the Tiger Lillies.

Kronos has also performed live with the likes of icons Allen Ginsberg, Zakir Hussain, Modern Jazz Quartet, Tom Waits, David Barsamian, Howard Zinn, Betty Carter, and David Bowie, and has appeared on recordings by such diverse talents as Nine Inch Nails, Amon Tobin, Dan Zanes, DJ Spooky, Dave Matthews, Nelly Furtado, Rokia Traoré, Joan Armatrading and Don Walser. Kronos' music has also featured prominently in both film (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, 21 Grams, Heat, True Stories) and dance, with noted choreographers such as Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, and Eiko & Koma setting pieces to Kronos' music.

As a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, the Kronos Performing Arts Association has also commissioned hundreds of new works and arrangements for string quartet. The quartet is committed to mentoring emerging professional performers, and in 2007 Kronos led its first Professional Training Workshop with four string quartets as part of the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. One of Kronos' most exciting initiatives is the Kronos: Under 30 Project, a unique commissioning and composer-in-residence program for composers under 30 years old, launched in conjunction with Kronos' own 30th birthday in 2003. By cultivating creative relationships with such emerging talents and a wealth of other artists from around the world, Kronos reaps the benefit of 30 years' wisdom while maintaining a fresh approach to music-making inspired by a new generation of composers and performers.