25 Years: Retrospective (Box Set)

The 20th century has not been kind to most standard classical music forms. The piano sonata, the concerto, the symphony – none of them have disappeared entirely, but none remain in a state that could be called even remotely healthy. The same was true of the string quartet until 1973, when violinist David Harrington got some friends together to play contemporary music and offered his old high-school composition teacher a bag of donuts if he'd write a piece for them. The resulting composition was the first of over 400 works that have been written for the Kronos Quartet over the course of the following 25 years, a period which has seen the revitalization of the previously moribund string quartet format. But Kronos has done more than simply triple the size of the string quartet repertoire; by focusing on living composers, by cultivating a somewhat rebellious image, and by playing with impeccable professionalism and skill, Kronos has brought a new and primarily young audience to classical music. This massive ten-disc retrospective includes performances of 31 major compositions, most previously released, but some in new recordings. There are none of the miniature works that fill so many of Kronos' individual albums; these are all long-form compositions, all but one presented in their entirety. They include two string quartets by Henryk Gorecki, Terry Riley's post-minimalist Cadenza on the Night Plain, Morton Feldman's Piano and String Quartet, three quartets by Philip Glass, and many others, but the highlights of the collection are the tremendously moving Different Trains by Steve Reich (who combined train sounds, multi-tracked string quartet, and the recorded voices of concentration camp survivors and Pullman porters to create a powerful and deeply personal statement on the Holocaust) and Alfred Schnittke's exquisite Collected Songs Where Every Verse Is Filled With Grief. The packaging is excellent as well, and includes a booklet packed with photos, essays, and notes on the individual composers and compositions.
John Adams John's Book of Alleged Dances, for string quartet 36:25
Arvo Pärt Fratres, for string quartet 9:31
Arvo Pärt Psalom, for string quartet 2:08
Arvo Pärt Summa, for string quartet 5:20
Arvo Pärt Missa sillabica, for chorus 12:38
Ken Benshoof Traveling Music No. 4, for string quartet 19:06
Ken Benshoof Song of Twenty Shadows, for string quartet 11:24
Astor Piazzolla Five Tango Sensations, for bandoneón & string quartet (abridgement and arrangement of Sette sequenze) 26:52
Astor Piazzolla Four for Tango, for string quartet 3:59
Morton Feldman Piano and String Quartet, for piano & string quartet 79:38
Philip Glass String Quartet No.4 "Buczak" 23:13
Philip Glass String Quartet No.3 "Mishima" 15:36
Philip Glass String Quartet No.2 "Company" 7:30
Philip Glass String Quartet No.5 21:57
Osvaldo Golijov Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, for clarinet & string quartet 32:15
Sofia Gubaidulina String Quartet No.4, with tape 11:56
Franguiz Ali-Zadeh Mugam Sayagi, for string quartet 21:27
Henryk Górecki String Quartet No. 2 ("Quasi una Fantasia"), Op. 64 32:08
Henryk Górecki String Quartet No. 1 ("Already It Is Dusk"), Op. 62 14:01
Steve Reich Different Trains, for double string quartet & tape 26:58
George Crumb Black Angels (Images I), for electric string quartet 18:18
Terry Riley Cadenza on the Night Plain, for string quartet 25:17
Terry Riley G-Song, for string quartet & synthesizer, or synthesizer & soprano sax 9:46
Terry Riley Salome Dances for Peace, pieces (5) for string quartet (III. The Gift: Echoes of Primordial Time) 11:14
Terry Riley Salome Dances for Peace, pieces (5) for string quartet (III. The Gift: Mongolian Winds) 4:16
Terry Riley Salome Dances for Peace, pieces (5) for string quartet (V. Good Medicine: Good Medicine Dance) 13:33
Alfred Schnittke String Quartet No.2 22:03
Alfred Schnittke String Quartet No.4 34:52
Alfred Schnittke Concerto for choir (Concerto for soprano & chorus) (Collected Songs Where Every Verse Is Filled with Grief) 8:24
Peter Sculthorpe String Quartet No. 11 ("Jabiru Dreaming") 12:41
Peter Sculthorpe String Quartet No. 8 12:01
Peter Sculthorpe From Ubirr, for string quartet & 2 didgeridoos 11:19
P Q. Phan Memoirs of a Lost Soul, for string quartet (Tragedy at the Opera) 6:37
Kevin Volans String quartet No 1 "White Man Sleeps" 22:25




Happy listening!