The Kronos Quartet Albums (28)
'You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood'
Release Date 8/23/2005
Tracks 12
Label Nonesuch
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What The Critics Say
The Kronos Quartet has been confounding purists and expectations with their commissions and collaborations for years, but this one has to be among their most adventurous yet. For You've Stolen My Heart, they collaborated with Asha Bhosle, one of India's best-loved singers, to pay tribute to R.D. Burman, India's most renowned film composer. Burman was both brilliant and prolific, and had a knack for incorporating nearly any and every style of music into his works. Not only that, but he was a sonic technician/alchemist who invented or discovered, then incorporated, all manner of sound and tape effects into the songs as well. The band looked to Burman's originals for the arrangements rather than commissioning new ones, but in order to do this correctly the core quartet was going to need some help. So in addition to Asha Bhosle on vocals for much of the program, previous collaborators Wu Man and Zakir Hussain figure prominently into the sound. In addition, besides their customary stringed instruments, the members of Kronos add farfisa, synthesizers, accordion, electric bass, percussion, theremin, and more! With all this going on, multi-tracking is obviously a necessity, but beyond the different instruments there are places where the strings got "massive overdubs" to achieve a lush string section, and others where experiments with bowing technique and microphone placement add odd tonal qualities. Add to that Wu Man's pipa and electric sitar(!), and this is clearly not your average classical recording. Despite his penchant for experimentation and musical cannibalism, Burman's compositions are no novelty. His songs are deeply melodic and beautiful, and some are so catchy you may find yourself singing along. Asha Bhosle still has a great voice; it's hard to believe she was 70 at the time of these sessions. And what can you say about the Kronos Quartet? After more than 30 years, they continue to push the boundaries and continue to put out exciting records. You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood is an absolute triumph. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For Tan Dun's Ghost Opera, the Kronos Quartet had their instrumental abilities stretched to include various percussion, wind instruments, and vocals and were joined by pipa virtuoso Wu Man. The first sound one hears is a hand being drawn through a bowl of water. Soon, strains of Bach appear, accompanied by the pipa, an ancient Chinese lute, and the voiced prayer of a monk. Bach figures into much of the work, in fact, as if being played by a traveling string quartet making their way through back-country China. The piece slides comfortably between these areas, the strings sometimes taking on an Asian character that compliments the Baroque allusions in an oddly effective manner. The music is generally soft in nature with, aside from the Bach, frequent references to Chinese folk songs of a pastoral quality. It's almost lulling at times, though there's enough subtlety of detail to keep the attentive listener engaged. Those who only cottoned to Tan Dun after his success several years after this recording, with the soundtrack to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, should enjoy this carefully considered, meditative piece. ~ Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide
'Harry Partch: U.S. Highball'
Release Date 8/19/2003
Tracks 8
Label Nonesuch
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'Peteris Vasks: String Quartet No. 4'
Release Date 8/19/2003
Tracks 5
Label Nonesuch
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'Alban Berg: Lyric Suite'
Release Date 1/1/2003
Tracks 6
Label Nonesuch
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What The Critics Say
The Kronos Quartet has achieved a lot in its time, but in Nuevo has managed a true milestone in a very auspicious career. The quartet has taken the music of Mexican composers, from the classical (such as Agustin Lara) to the kitsch (Juan Garcia Esquivel), and including the impressionistic (Osvaldo Golijov, who did most of the adventurous arrangements for this disc) and the downright modern (a Café Tacuba piece in collaboration with the band), and made them into a wonderful whole. Kudos also go to the production, which makes the opener, El Sinaloense, sound like a scratchy old 78 record at excessive volume (the remix of the piece that closes the album is a different kettle of fish altogether). Many of the tracks bring in other players, on instruments ranging from the mysterious plasmaht to the musical leaf, along with more recognizable things, like marimba. The result captures some of the many spirits of Mexico, from the chaos and celebration on K'in Sventa Ch'ul Me'tik Kwadulupe through the simple, elegant, and often playful joy of Chavosuite, where toys are played, to the daring long journey of 12/12. While the Kronos Quartet has long since blurred musical boundaries into oblivion, this might be the biggest step the ensemble has taken yet -- and with it comes a complete, unreserved triumph. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On their 2000 release, the Kronos Quartet has appeared with an album worthy of their name. On Caravan, the quartet uses songs from the world round, with all of them rearranged as needed to fit a string quartet. There are compositions from Yugoslavia ("Pannonia Boundless"), Portugal ("Cancao Verdes Anos" and "Romance No. 1"), India ("Aaj Ki Raat"), Mexico ("La Muerte Chiquita"), Turkey ("Turceasca"), Romania, Hungary, Iran, Lebanon, and Argentina. There are guest artists left and right on the album: Hindustani tabla great Zakir Hussain aids on the Bollywood work "Aaj Ki Raat" (Tonight's the Night). Taraf de Haidouks, a gypsy ensemble, provides extra violins and accordions on "Turceasca" to make the work outright exhilarating. Lebanese nay player Ali Jihad Racy appears on his composition, as does Iranian kemancheh player Kayhan Kalhor. The Kronos Quartet has shown themselves to be quite adept at ethnic musics (though Westernized thoroughly by the time the quartet is through with them) since Pieces of Africa, and possibly even better than their American based works (see Music of Bill Evans album). That part still continues. They again use stunning virtuosity to make a tango play through smoothly on this album, as tangos almost seem to be a specialty for the group. There is quite a rough spot on the album on Terry Riley's composition, "Cortejo Funebre en el Monte Diablo." The work sounds like some kind of classicized version of a cross between industrial punk and video game background music -- needless to say, not the greatest work ever done by the group. To end the album, the quartet takes on an interpretation of surf guitar king Dick Dale's hit "Misirlou," adapting it to their format with surprising efficiency. Overall, the music is for the most part relatively incredible, despite the rough spot on Riley's composition. Kronos Quartet are occasionally on-again-off-again, but here, they're almost entirely on. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
'Early Music (Lachrymae Antiquae)'
Release Date 1/1/1997
Tracks 21
Label Elektra/Nonesuch
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What The Critics Say
What's interesting about the latest outing from this prolific chamber group is not so much that they've chosen to create string quartet adaptations of music from the late-Middle Ages and early-Renaissance -- after all, the Kronos Quartet are folks who have commissioned arrangements of Jimi Hendrix and Bo Diddley, so their fans have learned not to be shocked by now -- but here, on Early Music (Lachrymae Antiquae), they've chosen to juxtapose the works of Guillaume de Machaut, Perotin, and Christopher Tye with pieces by John Cage, Moondog, and Harry Partch, among other 20th century notables. But maybe that shouldn't come as a surprise, either. It certainly makes lovely musical sense: the stark and static beauty of Arvo Pärt's Psalom fits perfectly with John Dowland's Lachrymae Antiquæ (did that man never cheer up?) and John Cage's Quodlibet sounds just right next to Perotin's Viderunt Omnes. Was Cage poking fun at his composition teachers with a parody of the raw, open harmonies of the 12th century? If so, the Kronos folks have turned his intent on its ear in a way that he himself would probably have loved. Puckishness, however, is not really on the agenda here: the overriding mood is one of sadness and devotion, as the album's subtitle (Latin for "ancient tears") makes clear. Like most of Kronos' best work, this is dark, lovely, eerie stuff. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
