Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Kronos Quartet

Saw the Kronos Quartet on Sunday, at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium: David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello).

They performed a set of pieces labeled, "In the Blue Room":
"...an intimate concert of works that includes a tribute to composer Terry Riley in celebration of his 80th birthday year! They’ll perform Good Medicine from Riley’s epic Salome Dances for Peace, and a new work written by Polish composer Aleksander Kościów, a piece is based on a traditional Polish folk dance, the oberek. A musical gift to Riley, it represents, in the words of the composer, “the human need for pure joy.” The evening also includes a work written for Kronos by Cabrillo composer-in-residence Nathaniel Stookey, and works by Mark Applebaum, Laurie Anderson, and Mary Kouyoumdjian."
NOTES

  • All wore earpieces
  • Lighting projected the performers' shadows on the upper walls of the auditorium
  • We had great seats: Section K Row B, 1 and 2
  • During an early piece, a dragon fly, attracted to the lights, swirled around and around, above the performers, disappearing into the ceiling, then re-appearing, swirling down closer and closer, until it finally reached the performers and disappeared from view--John smiled and completed the work
  • Composer Nathaniel Stookey walked out to greet the performers, after they completed his work
  • A few people walked out of Mary Kouyoumdjian's "Silent Cranes"
  • I found Kouyoumdjian's work the most powerful and dark piece heard in recent memory...Kronos Quartet members get major props for playing it, in my estimate
  • Setlist:
    • Terry Riley / Good Medicine from Salome Dances for Peace *
    • Mark Applebaum / Darmstadt Kindergarten *
    • Aleksander Kościów / Oberek for Terry Riley *
    • Nathaniel Stookey / String Quartet No. 3, “The Mezzanine” *
    • Intermission
    • Laurie Anderson (arr. Jacob Garchik) / Flow +
    • Mary Kouyoumdjian / Silent Cranes *
    • Two encore songs:

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