Kronos Quartet (album)
Encyclopedia
Kronos Quartet is a studio album by the Kronos Quartet
, the first of their albums on Nonesuch Records
. It contains compositions by Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe
, Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen
, American composer Philip Glass
, and American/Mexican composer Conlon Nancarrow
. The last track is Jimi Hendrix
's "Purple Haze
."
of the New York Times, "The best recorded anthology yet to capture the heady diversity of musical idioms that this San Francisco quartet espouses." Joseph McLellan
, for the Washington Post, commented in a similar vein: "This group is absolutely amazing-not merely because of the superb technique with which it tackles the challenging contemporary repertoire, but even more for the breadth of vision that matter-of-factly and quite correctly includes Jimi Hendrix. . . . Hearing this music is a mind-expanding experience."
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, the first of their albums on Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
. It contains compositions by Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Joshua Sculthorpe AO OBE is an Australian composer. Much of his music has resulted from an interest in the music of Australia's neighbours as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of native Australian music with that of the heritage of the West...
, Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen
Aulis Sallinen
Aulis Sallinen is a Finnish contemporary classical music composer. He writes in a modern, though tonal and not experimental music style. He studied at the Sibelius Academy, where his teachers included Joonas Kokkonen...
, American composer Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
, and American/Mexican composer Conlon Nancarrow
Conlon Nancarrow
Conlon Nancarrow was a United States-born composer who lived and worked in Mexico for most of his life. He became a Mexican citizen in 1955.Nancarrow is best remembered for the pieces he wrote for the player piano...
. The last track is Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
's "Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
."
Track listing
Critical reception
According to John RockwellJohn Rockwell
John Rockwell is a music critic, editor, and dance critic. He studied at Phillips Academy, Harvard, the University of Munich, and the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Ph.D. in German culture....
of the New York Times, "The best recorded anthology yet to capture the heady diversity of musical idioms that this San Francisco quartet espouses." Joseph McLellan
Joseph McLellan
Joseph Duncan McLellan was The Washington Posts music critic for more than three decades as well as a chess and book reviewer.Born in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1929 and grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts. He received his bachelor's degree in French from Boston College in 1951 and his master's...
, for the Washington Post, commented in a similar vein: "This group is absolutely amazing-not merely because of the superb technique with which it tackles the challenging contemporary repertoire, but even more for the breadth of vision that matter-of-factly and quite correctly includes Jimi Hendrix. . . . Hearing this music is a mind-expanding experience."
Musicians
- David Harrington - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- John Sherba - violin
- Hank Dutt - violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Joan JeanrenaudJoan JeanrenaudJoan Jeanrenaud, née Dutcher , is an American cello player. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, she played with the Kronos Quartet from 1978 until 1999, when, after a sabbatical, she left to pursue a solo career and collaborations with other artists, in part due being diagnosed with multiple...
- celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
Production
- Recorded June 1985 at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York
- Produced by Thomas Frost
- John Newton - Engineer
- E. Amelia Rogers - Digital Editing
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
- Mastering