Kronos Quartet Does Worldbeat

Evening Music | May 6, 2010

When David Byrne and Paul Simon sought out the sounds of Brazil and South Africa for inspiration in the 1980s, some accused them of using world music as mere aural backdrops for their own egos. But when the Kronos Quartet recorded their 1992 album Pieces of Africa, a collection of pieces written by African composers and performed by the classical foursome, they avoided the cultural imperialism accusations and scored a hit. Tonight we hear a selection from this chart-topping album, Obo Addy’s composition “Our Beginning.” Also, music from Terry Riley and Steve Reich, winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Also Featured Tonight:

Alessandro Scarlatti / Cantata Pastorale
Karl Amadeus Hartmann / Burleske Musik
Johann Sebastian Bach / Pastorale in C minor
Valentin Silvestrov / Postludium for piano and orchestra
Takashi Yoshimatsu / Threnody to Toki Op 12

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