NOVELTY AND NOSTALGIA COME EVEN TO KRONOS 
                                              By Paul Hertelendy 
        artssf.com, the independent observer of San Francisco Bay Area music and dance 
                                                                 Week of Dec. 14-21, 2009
                                                                  Vol. 12, No. 47
           BERKELEY---The indefatigable Kronos Quartet indulged in a rare evening of both nostalgia and novelty before a sold-out Hertz Hall on Dec. 13.
          I was close to tears---of joy, I think---on seeing Kronos’ former cellist Joan Jeanreaud briefly reunited in concert, exactly 11 years after declining health had forced her early retirement from the group. Now slender as a rail, but with a smile as wide as Hertz Hall itself, she completed the string quintet for a world premiere written for these players by Vladimir Martynov. After, she won heartfelt ovations as she went around and reaped hugs from all the colleagues with whom she had shared so many stages, so many premieres. It was a bittersweet moment to be long remembered.
          The piece with the confusing title “Schubert-Quintet (Unfinished)” was a deconstruction of the great Schubert C Major Quintet for strings, coming back in oft repeated fragments. And as if to refute those who find Kronos’ amplified music to sound very mechanical, there was a soulful solo for first violinist and leader David Harrington.
          This  quintet harking back nearly 200 years is a marked departure for Kronos, whose repertory is usually highly contemporary.
          Hardly less nostalgic was the return of Terry Riley, 74, often called the father of the minimalist movement  for his trail-blazing 1964 opus "In C." Among composers working today, Riley probably comes closest to the traditions laid down by Lou Harrison, heavily committed to both tonality and transparency, and usually incorporating elements of Far-Eastern (in Riley’s case, contemplative Indian) music as well.
          The novelty came in Riley’s “Transylvanian Horn Courtship” (2008) where the custom-made instruments were fitted with trumpet-like bells. The so-called Stroh violins dated from the late 19th century when no electronic amplification was available. Furthermore, they altered the sound texture, giving it a slightly more metallic timbre---sometimes even verging on a cat’s meow. Kronos engaged instrument-maker Walter Kitundu to make a complete set that looks very skeletal, leaving it to Riley to create the 34-minute suite in nine parts, ranging from Western to Indian, and in between something of the sparks of folk fiddlers from many lands. All the instruments were tuned a fifth lower (i.e., like G dropping down to a C) to produce a yet more unusual sound.
          Although Riley no longer pursues his improvisational and chance music  of old avidly, the feeling of jam sessions was definitely there. Along with ingratiating moments of irony, fluidity, contemplation.
          The other music sounded much more conventional. New Yorker Bryce Dessner’s “Aheym” was highly propulsive and hard-edged, with repetitive minimalist figures a la Steve Reich or Philip Glass. Missy Mazzoli’s “Harp and Altar” featured a prerecorded narration of a Hart Crane poem, along with some highly lyrical flights for the cellist (Jeffrey Ziegler, the newest member of the group).
          Kronos is not so much a string quartet as it is a sextet, featuring both a sound and a lighting designer, with the latter subtly altering projected backgrounds to enhance and enrich the run-of-the-mill chamber-music scene. I am much less enthusiastic about Kronos’ penchant for amplifying all their live performances.  
          All of this night's music was written for Kronos.
          Kronos Quartet, latest touring attraction presented by Cal Performances, Dec. 13 at Hertz Hall on the UCB campus, Berkeley. For info: (510) 642-9988, or go online. 

       ©Paul Hertelendy 2009
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           Paul Hertelendy has been covering the dance and modern-music scene in the San Francisco Bay Area with relish -- and a certain amount of salsa -- for years.
    These critiques appearing weekly (or sometimes semi-weekly, but never weakly) will focus on dance and new musical creativity in performance, with forays into books (by authors of the region), theater and recordings by local artists as well.
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