Today, let’s wrap up our Classical Crossover month by looking at an example of a traditionally classical-type ensemble that pushes their boundaries far beyond classical music.
Have you heard of the Kronos Quartet? They were in Cincinnati this past March collaborating with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in MusicNOW. This ensemble, made up of musicians David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello), performs everything from classical, to jazz, to film music, and rock. Kronos began back in 1973 when Harrington, inspired by George Crumb’s Black Angels, decided to form a string quartet that would perform diverse repertoire, far beyond the traditional Haydn and Mozart chamber music. One such example of how a string quartet can push boundaries is Kronos’ performance of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.”
Can
you think of any other traditionally classical ensembles that cross over into
other genres?
