Word: nancarrow
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...dream come to fiddling life. This disk offers the Balinese- influenced String Quartet No. 8 by the idiosyncratic Australian Peter Sculthorpe, the introspective Quartet No. 3 by conservative Finnish Composer Aulis Sallinen, Philip Glass's somber, eight-minute Company, the rarely heard 1942 String Quartet by expatriate American Conlon Nancarrow and, as an encore, an arrangement of Rock Guitarist Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze. Talk about eclectic...
Punk attire aside, the Kronos can really play. Somewhat surprisingly, the highlight is the Nancarrow, a straightforward, approachable, quasi- Bar-tokian work in three movements. It predates Nancarrow's dense, mind-boggling, rhythmic experiments in his Mexico City studio with the player piano, which later became his chosen medium of expression. Emotionally stirring, the piece deserves wider currency. And the swooping, sliding, fuzz-toned Purple Haze must be as close as a string quartet is likely to come to playing acid rock at the Fillmore. Jimi was never like this. Can Janis be far behind...
Fortunately, there are summer festivals of instrumental music that satisfy hardier listeners seeking sustenance for both mind and ear. In California, the Cabrillo Music Festival, observing its 20th anniversary this year, will present world premieres by composers like Conlon Nancarrow, 69, an American expatriate who has lived in Mexico City since 1940 and who writes his music for player piano. On the programs of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, works by living composers like John Harbison, Richard Wernick and Yehudi Wyner coexist peacefully with those of Haydn and Smetana. And for devotees who must have their daily dose...
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