On Saturday, January 25 at 9:00 p.m., pioneering ensemble Kronos Quartet returns to Zankel Hall for a program that reveals the group's remarkable gift for expanding the range and context of the string quartet. The evening includes the world premiere of Bryce Dessner's Le Bois, a work based on Pérotin's Sederunt principes and was inspired by the Notre Dame Cathedral and the 1,000-year-old wood ceiling that was lost in the fire there in the Spring of 2019. The new work was commissioned as part of 50 for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire, an education and legacy project that is commissioning-and distributing online for free-50 new works for string quartet designed expressly for the training of students and emerging professionals. Other works on the program commissioned for the 50 for the Future project include Philip Glass's Quartet Satz, Missy Mazzoli's Enthusiasm Strategies, and Misato Mochizuki's Boids.
In addition, the quartet performs iconic contemporary works including Michael Gordon's Clouded Yellow, Steve Reich's Different Trains, and selections from Terry Riley's Sun Rings ("The Electron Cyclotron Frequency Parlour" and "One Earth, One People, One Love"), the Grammy-nominated recording recently released by Nonesuch Records. Paul Wiancko joins the Kronos Quartet as guest cellist during Sunny Yang's maternity leave.
Prior to this performance, starting at 8:00 p.m., ticketholders are invited to enjoy Late Nights at Zankel Hall, a laid-back chance to meet others who share your passion for music. The first 200 ticketholders to arrive will receive a complimentary drink courtesy of Carnegie Hall. For more information, please visit carnegiehall.org/latenights.
For more than 45 years, San Francisco's Kronos Quartet-David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello)-has combined a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually reimagine the string quartet experience. In the process, Kronos has become one of the world's most celebrated and influential ensembles, performing thousands of concerts, releasing more than 60 recordings, collaborating with many of the world's most accomplished composers and performers, and commissioning over 1,000 works and arrangements for string quartet. Kronos has received over 40 awards, including the prestigious Polar Music Prize, Avery Fisher Prize, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvreprijs.
Integral to Kronos' work is a series of long-running collaborations with many of the world's foremost composers, including Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Philip Glass, Nicole Lizée, Vladimir Martynov, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Aleksandra Vrebalov. Additional collaborators have included Sam Amidon, Laurie Anderson, Asha Bhosle, Noam Chomsky, Rhiannon Giddens, Sam Green, Zakir Hussain, múm, Trevor Paglen, Van Dyke Parks, San Francisco Girls Chorus, Tanya Tagaq, Trio Da Kali, Mahsa Vahdat, Tom Waits, Wu Man, and Howard Zinn.
On tour for five months per year, Kronos appears in the world's most prestigious concert halls, clubs, and festivals. Kronos is equally prolific and wide-ranging on recordings, including two Grammy-winning albums - Landfall with Laurie Anderson (2018) and Alban Berg's Lyric Suite featuring Dawn Upshaw (2003) - both released by longtime label Nonesuch Records. Kronos' other recent releases include Ladilikan (World Circuit Records) with Trio Da Kali, an ensemble of Malian griot musicians assembled by Aga Khan Music Initiative; Clouded Yellow (Cantaloupe Music) by Bang on a Can founding composer Michael Gordon; Placeless (Kirkelig Kulturverksted) with Iranian vocalists Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat; and Sun Rings (Nonesuch), Terry Riley's magnum opus for string quartet, chorus and pre-recorded spacescapes, which was nominated for Best Engineered Album, Classical, in the upcoming 62nd Grammy Awards.
The nonprofit Kronos Performing Arts Association manages all aspects of Kronos' work, including the commissioning of new works, concert tours and home season performances, education programs, and the annual Kronos Festival. In 2015, Kronos launched 50 for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire, an education and legacy project that is co-commissioning with Carnegie Hall and other partners 50 new works for string quartet, composed by 25 women and 25 men, that are being distributed online for free. Visit 50ftf.kronosquartet.org to learn more.
Program Information
Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 9:00 p.m.
Zankel Hall
Kronos Quartet
David Harrington, Violin
John Sherba, Violin
Hank Dutt, Viola
Sunny Yang, Cello
Paul Wiancko, Cello
MICHAEL GORDON Clouded Yellow
PHILIP GLASS Quartet Satz
MISSY MAZZOLI Enthusiasm Strategies
MISATO MOCHIZUKI Boids
TERRY RILEY "The Electron Cyclotron Frequency Parlour" from Sun Rings
TERRY RILEY "One Earth, One People, One Love" from Sun Rings
BRYCE DESSNER Le Bois (World Premiere)
STEVE REICH Different Trains
Paul Wiancko will perform as the Kronos Quartet's guest cellist during Sunny Yang's maternity leave.
Tickets, priced $63 and $75, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.
For more information on discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.
