It List: Monday 5/7/07

Kronos Quartet (McFarlin Auditorium SMU): If you're planning on attending one high priced high brow concert this year (and the nosebleeds are only $14 anyway), this is probably the one to go to. Its impossible to give you much of an idea of what Kronos Quartet does since they've covered so much ground throughout their legendary career, but a short list of artists who have either 1) worked with the famous string quartet or 2) allowed them to interpret their work will give you an idea of the group's prestige: Ornette Coleman, Terry Riley, Philip Glass,John Zorn, Steve Reich (on his most famous work), Allen Ginsberg, Tom Waits, David Bowie, Thelonius Monk and Bjork. Now thats a hell of a list, isn't it? Playing everything from pre-Renaissance European music to jazz to Jimi Hendrix to traditional Mexican to a full interpretation of Television's Marquee Moon, Kronos has consistently pushed boundaries during their thirty plus years in existence, breathing life into the concept of a "string quartet" and remaining on the cutting edge in multimedia performance, jazz, minimalist composition and more. Tonight they'll be performing Terry Riley's Sun Rings, which will feature the quartet (two violins, a viola and a cello) along with the Turtle Creek Chorale and the Women's Chorus of Dallas. The piece is a lengthy, 10 movement composition commissioned by NASA that features sounds and images from space. I have no idea what this will sound like, but I'm looking forward to finding out. Here is what the psychedelic minimalist master Riley has to say about it:

"Space is surely the realm of dreams and imagination and a fertile feeding ground for poets and musicians. Ancient astrologers were aware of the significant influences of planetary movements on our lives. I feel these influences are somehow responsible for this amazing collaboration which has been so enthusiastically undertaken by all the participants responsible for its outcome. Do the stars welcome us into their realms? I think so or we would not have made it this far. Do they wish us to come in Peace? I am sure of it."

You can call Titas at 214-528-5576 for info and tickets, or you can just pick them up at the performance I'm sure.