Sculthorpe/Salinen/Glass/Nancarrow/Hendrix

AMG Review of Sculthorpe/Salinen/Glass/Nancarrow/Hendrix

Mark W. B. Allender
All Music Guide

This recording is representative, according to the liner notes, of what a Kronos Quartet concert might be like. There are performances by a disparate selection of contemporary composers with a catchy little zinger for the encore. Indeed, the big hook for this record lies in the final word, "Hendrix," in the title. But if you are listening to this record to hear a cute little version of "Purple Haze" done by a stuffy string quartet, you are wasting your time. These are all solid performances of composers who have for the most part avoided categorization and whose works can only be judged by actually listening to them. Opening the disc is "String Quartet No. 8" by Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe. Using Balinese folk traditions as a compositional starting point, Sculthorpe releases an emotive piece that is both melancholy and agitated. Nancarrow's "String Quartet No. 3" takes elements of Peltoniemi Hintrik's "Funeral March," twisting and perverting passages one on top of another, generating at times a storm of chaos. More restrained and disciplined is Philip Glass' "Company," a work that resonates with an intimacy uncommon to his usual repertoire. Rampant and playful, "String Quartet" by Mexican composer Conlon Nancarrow exemplifies his love for complex rhythms -- he being most famous for his humanly impossible-to-play pieces for player piano. And closing the disc is "Purple Haze," which is fun -- as only string arrangements of ock & roll songs can be.