Kronos Quartet
For more than 20 years, Kronos Quartet's David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Joan Jeanrenaud (cello) have challenged the notion of propriety in the classical milieu by commissioning and interpreting works that venture far beyond a straight reading of the three B's (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms). While drawing contempt from the crusty ranks, Kronos' daring has earned them an international following and respect from new-music peers like Terry Riley, John Zorn, and Rova Saxophone Quartet. The group's follow-up to last year's text-based Howl, U.S.A. (with the late Allen Ginsberg) includes two concurrently released 30-minute recordings: Ghost Opera, Tan Dun's dramatic fusion of Chinese folk influences and European classical traditions (including Bach and Shakespeare); and The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, Osvaldo Golijov's epic history of Judaism. Isaac is the stronger of the two due to a remarkably chameleonic arrangement and virtuosic playing from guest clarinetist David Krakauer. Without the visual aid of Ghost Opera's installationlike props, which were used in concert, that piece's scattered vocal and percussive eruptions seem jarringly, self-consciously "avant-garde." To be sure, there will be little chance of similarly irksome behavior when Kronos presents its "home season" performances of compositions by Arvo Part, Hildegard von Bingen, and others.
-- Sam Prestianni
Kronos Quartet performs Thursday through Saturday, April 24-26, at 8 p.m. at Theater Artaud, 450 Florida. Tickets are $20; call 621-7797.
