Kronos Quartet: Sculthorpe, Sallinen, Glass, Nuncarrow, Hendrix

Aulis Sallinen (Composer), Philip Glass (Composer), Conlon Nancarrow (Composer), Jimi Hendrix (Composer), Peter Sculthorpe (Composer), Kronos Quartet (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Kronos Quartet
• Composer: Aulis Sallinen, Philip Glass, Conlon Nancarrow, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Sculthorpe
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B000005IXL
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,125 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( N ) > Nancarrow, Conlon
  #19 in	Music > Classical > Featured Performers, A-Z > ( K ) > Kronos Quartet
  #54 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( G ) > Glass, Philip

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
How odd that the recording that gained Kronos its initial fame proves to be the group's least remarkable: Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze," from the group's 1985 Nonesuch debut. At the time of its release, this encore of Hendrix's canonical rock song gave many traditional cultural commentators pause, and many young fans reason to rejoice. But as the years have passed and Kronos's members have become rock stars themselves (of a sort), listeners have come to find the pleasures promised by the Hendrix cover--soul, visceral rocking, rebellion--elsewhere on this record. The Slavic tinge of Aulis Sallinen's String Quartet No. 3 offers enough melancholy for half a dozen popular songs (and, about four minutes in, some very Hendrix-like rhythms). "Psychedelic" may be the best word to describe the myriad, rapid-fire patterns of the second and fourth movements of Philip Glass's "Company." And there are few rebels so legendary in America as Conlon Nancarrow, who lived in self-exile in Mexico and whose work, this String Quartet notwithstanding, is often too complicated for humans to play. --Marc Weidenbaum

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely first rate! Performance & recording are excellent, September 22, 1998

By	J. LaCoss "Rt. Rev. Sawdust Master" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I am far from knowledgable about music. However, this is a marvelous introduction to contemporary music as arranged for a string quartet. The vision and versatility of this group are really laid out here.

The only piece that jars is "Purple Haze," which, sorry folks, just doesn't work with strings. While I greatly applaud Kronos' willingness to try on a rock masterpiece, Hendrix said everything that needs to be said.

I recommend this CD unreservedly! Jeff