Boundaries do not exist for Kronos Quartet. Think of any musical genre – in all likelihood, Kronos has already conquered it and made something new from it.
The quartet is the only musical group that can sound like both a mariachi band and a post-modern messenger warning of the nearing apocalypse. The string quartet’s 2002 album, Nuevo, sees the group performing a wide variety of Mexican music to smile-inducing effect. On its 1990 release, Black Angels, Kronos pierces ears and evokes the imagery of a thousand swooping ravens, performing music written as a reaction to war.
“This group is constantly evolving,” Kronos founder and violinist David Harrington said.
Harrington and the rest of the San Francisco-based four-piece will continue their residency at the university with performances this week, their first at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center since February.
Among several other pieces, Kronos will be performing George Crumb’s response to the Vietnam War, “Black Angels,” tomorrow night. The haunting work actually inspired the group to form.
“It was a tough time and I couldn’t find the right music to play,” Harrington said.
But then he discovered “Black Angels,” a piece that resounded with Harrington in such a way that he founded the quartet in 1973 to play “unusual, new pieces. Music that feels right to play,” he said.
After more than 30 years traveling abroad for performances and collaborations (Harrington: “I have had jet lag for many years”), Kronos has seen it all. But even for a group that has played everywhere from Athens, Greece, to Brooklyn, CSPAC still stands out.
“I think that the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is one of the leading presenters of artistic events in the whole country,” Harrington said. “[CSPAC Executive Director] Susie Farr and [Director of Artistic Initiatives] Ruth Waalkes are two of the most inspiring arts administrators in the country. I really value [what they do].
“It takes a lot of courage to allow Kronos to play two days before the election,” he added.
The group is very passionate about politics, and with the upcoming presidential election, Harrington said he feels there is “a kernel of promise in the air.”
The group is performing under the banner of “Art Responds to War,” which the CSPAC website describes as “a selection of programs offering insights and asking questions about humanity’s endless legacy of conflict.”
One of the “Art Responds to War” programs is Kronos’ Alternative Radio. The program is a direct response to the conflicts of our personal and collective lives.
“Alternative Radio is the result of two things coming together in January 2003,” Harrington said. “The first is that I became a grandfather. Then it was … the Iraq invasion. That was a huge emotional experience. It was incredible to become a grandfather. But there was a huge conflict. I think invading Iraq was a huge mistake. I got incredibly depressed.”
And that’s when Harrington called writer and activist Howard Zinn.
“After 30 years touring the world, you begin to feel irrelevant,” Harrington said. “Howard convinced me that being a musician was the most important thing I could be doing.”
And so, Kronos’ Alternative Radio concept came together. The show will be presented as a live radio broadcast featuring host David Barsamian and a guest discussing the news of the day in between performances by Kronos. It is based off Barsamian’s actual radio show of the same name, which he started in the 1980s. His show features discussions with a wide variety of political commentators, most notably linguist Noam Chomsky.
Alternative Radio is a show that changes from performance to performance. Not only are the guests different from time to time, but because of its live nature, the discussion changes night to night.
Just like Alternative Radio, Kronos is always changing, always becoming new. More than 600 pieces have been written for Kronos, and still more are being created – former Blur frontman and Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn is just one artist with plans to write for the group.
And Kronos have no plans to slow down. In the words of Harrington: “We’re just getting started.”
Kronos Quartet will perform Black Angels tomorrow and will perform Alternative Radio on Sunday at the Ina and Jack Kay Theatre in CSPAC. Black Angels will begin at 8 p.m. and Alternative Radio will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $7 for students, $40 for non-students.
diversionsdbk@gmail.com
