Kronos Quartet – “Music of Vladimir Martynov”
piątek, 20 stycznia 2012
A new album by one of the world’s best known quartets – Kronos Quartet – is out. The ensemble is equally at ease performing classical music, interpreting popular music and providing an unforgettable illustration to feature films. The album, entitled the “Music of Vladimir Martynov” , contains interpretations of works by the classical Russian composer Vladimir Martynov, who had the courage in Soviet Russia to explore genres other than classical music. He reached for folk, avant-garde rock and electronic music, not least the minimalism. He also sought to preserve traditional Orthodox songs for posterity.
The Kronos Quartet recorded three works written for the quartet by the Russian composer: “The Beatitudes”, “Schubert-Quintet” and “Der Abschied”. Joan Jeanrenaud (member of the Kronos Quartet in the 1990s) appears as a guest cellist in the second work. The material was produced by Judith Sherman. David Harrington says Martynov’s “music seems to me to reflect and absorb humanity in such a beautiful way.”