[speedball]

I just saw the Kronos Quartet and i loved it. It was just an amazing performance. They played a little bit of everything: some Sigur Ros, Thelonious Monk, and Steve Reich are the ones I remember and could readily identify. For the Sigur Ros portion they even broke out a huge pipe organ. The venue where i saw them certainly does not have a pipe organ, so I definitely didn't see that one coming. About halfway through the first sigur ros piece, BAM lights on the pipe organ that no one could see before. I just thought I'd gush a little, these guys are so immensely talented.


Any fans out there?

 

[LeChuck]

I know that composer Clint Mansell works closely with them. They perfoemd the scores he wrote for Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain, the later being my favorite film score of all time.

Can you recommend any recordings?

 

[dantztiludrop]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeChuck /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you recommend any recordings?

Yeah, I would also be interested in checking them out. You've definitely piqued my curiosity with covers by Sigur Ros, Thelonius Monk, & Steve Reich!

 

[Sean.Perrin]

Amazing... can you recall the full program? Did they play different trains? I would have **** myself.

 

[Assorted]

I have their album with adaptations of early music for the modern string quartet... other than that I know nothing else.

 

[DrBenway]

Pieces of Africa is an amazing album. They are known as avant gardists, but they are so much more than that. They have used their commercial clout (in classical terms, they are rock stars. I say that without fear of mixed metaphor accusations!) to commission works by composers who would otherwise get zero traction. They have also championed pre-existing, less well-known works by great 20th/21st century composers.

All that said, I am still haunted by their straightforward quartet recording of the Barber quartet movement that became, in orchestrated form, Adagio for Strings. I've still never heard the entire quartet (not sure if Barber actually finished it) but it was a revelation to hear that glorious work rendered as it was conceived, for string quartet.

Years ago, David Sanborn and Jules Holland hosted a late-night live music show. I saw Kronos perform a quartet version of Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" with no electronic enhancement. It laid bare the brilliance of Hendrix's work, and completely reconfigured my ideas of what four string players can do. Joan Jenrenaud (their cellist at that time) made my jaw drop with the sounds she got out of her instrument.

Yeah, they're great.

 

[Bryan T]

Big fan. I love their performances of Reich, Glass, Partch, Shostakovich, Crumb, Gorecki, . . . Their film work, particularly "The Fountain." Their albums that are collections of composers, like "Nuevo" "Caravan," and "Pieces of Africa." Not everything they do is great, but on the whole they do an excellent job.

Bryan

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan T /img/forum/go_quote.gif Big fan. I love their performances of Reich, Glass, Partch, Shostakovich, Crumb, Gorecki, . . . Their film work, particularly "The Fountain." Their albums that are collections of composers, like "Nuevo" "Caravan," and "Pieces of Africa." Not everything they do is great, but on the whole they do an excellent job. Bryan

Yep, not everything they do is great. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I don't mean that to be at all hostile! It's just that none of my favorite artists rely on safety...

 

[Sordel]

I've been listening to them since their first album (the one with a transcription of "Purple Haze" on it) and I even hung around at a concert to get my copy of Black Angels signed (sad classical geek that I am

). I don't buy all their stuff, but they're probably responsible for exposing to me to more new music than any other classical performer I can think of.

 

[zotjen]

I have the majority of their recordings and have been a fan since early on. They're not for everyone, especially their "modern stuff", but they are definitely worth checking out. If you're a straight forward classical fan, I would start with the Gorecki albums and then just take it from there.

Just a slight word of warning. Be a little careful with the opening of Black Angels. Make sure the volume isn't too high and if you're listening through speakers, make sure your pets are not in the room.

 

[Bryan T]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zotjen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just a slight word of warning. Be a little careful with the opening of Black Angels. Make sure the volume isn't too high and if you're listening through speakers, make sure your pets are not in the room.

Where's the fun in that?

The first time I head that piece I was floored.

I really like the version of Shostakovich's 8th quartet on that CD. I probably listen to the Emerson recording more often, but Kronos makes me hear/appreciate different aspects of that piece.

Bryan

 

[Kikuji]

It has been awhile since I listen to Kronos Quartet. I was just listening to a Podcast with Terry Riley. I need to buy some Kronos Quartet CDs.

 

[Sean.Perrin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kikuji /img/forum/go_quote.gif It has been awhile since I listen to Kronos Quartet. I was just listening to a Podcast with Terry Riley. I need to buy some Kronos Quartet CDs.

Which podcast... please share....!

 

[tru blu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeChuck /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you recommend any recordings?

Definitely Pieces of Africa…and that 10-CD overview, 25 Years: A Retrospective, is also a nice way to get caught up. Many of the individual pieces that have been mentioned already (Gorecki, Reich, Crumb, Kevin Volans) are on it.

 

[FalconP]

Kronos really should launch their own label: they're probably the string quartet who has commissioned the most new works and received the most dedications; either they or the Arditti. Most of these new compositions will likely not be recorded and released by Nonesuch. It will do the classical world a great service if only they released such music, if only as sound files, on their own imperative.