Released in Kronos Quartet's 40th anniversary year, A Thousand Thoughts is a look at the group's geographically wide-ranging sources, featuring music from 14 different countries, including China, India, Sweden, and Vietnam. The album includes the four cellists who have been in Kronos Quartet over the last 36 years. Ten of the album’s 15 pieces are previously unreleased. Songlines gives it five stars, calling Kronos "one of the musical marvels of our age."
Kronos Quartet and its artistic director/founding violinist David Harrington have long been known as interpreters of music from around the world, expanding the string quartet repertoire with works from across genres. Nonesuch, the Quartet’s longtime label, celebrates this remarkable curiosity in the group’s 40th anniversary year with two releases: the Kronos Explorer Series five-CD box set and a new album, A Thousand Thoughts, both of which will be available on April 8, 2014 (international release to follow April 21).
A Thousand Thoughts is a look at Kronos’ geographically wide-ranging sources. It features music from 14 different countries, including China, India, Sweden, and Vietnam. The album includes the four cellists who have been in Kronos Quartet over the last 36 years: Joan Jeanrenaud (1978–1999), Jennifer Culp (1999–2005), Jeffrey Zeigler (2005–2013), and Sunny Yang (2013–present). Ten of the album’s 15 pieces are previously unreleased.
For 40 years, the Kronos Quartet—David Harrington, John Sherba (violins), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello)—has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of exploration with a commitment to continually re-imagining the string quartet experience. In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 50 recordings, collaborating with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers, and commissioning more than 800 works and arrangements for string quartet. In 2011, Kronos became the only recipients of both the Polar Music Prize and the Avery Fisher Prize, two of the most prestigious awards given to musicians. The group’s numerous awards also include a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance (2004) and Musicians of the Year (2003) from Musical America.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Compilation produced by David Harrington
Tusen Tankar, Eviç Taksim, Sim Sholom. Produced by Kronos Quartet and Scott Fraser. Recorded by Scott Fraser on August 7, 2013, at Studio Trilogy, San Francisco, CA. Assistant Engineers: Willie Samuels and Justin Lieberman. Edited and mixed by Scott Fraser at Architecture, Los Angeles.
Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground. Produced by David Harrington and Scott Fraser. Recorded by Scott Fraser on September 9, 2008, at Phillips Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Edited and mixed by Scott Fraser and David Harrington at Architecture, Los Angeles, CA.
La Sidounak Sayyada. Produced by Kronos Quartet and Scott Fraser. Recorded by Scott Fraser on June 30, 2013, in the Aula Magna at University of Malta, Valletta, Malta, and on August 7, 2013, at Studio Trilogy, San Francisco, CA. Assistant Engineers at Studio Trilogy: Willie Samuels and Justin Lieberman. Edited and mixed by Scott Fraser at Architecture, Los Angeles.
Lưu thủy trường. Produced by Terri Winston/Women’s Audio Mission and Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ. Recorded by Laura Dean and Terri Winston at Women’s Audio Mission, San Francisco, CA. Jenny Thornburg, Assistant Sound Engineer. Mixed by Laura Dean.
Aha Gèdawo. Produced by Kronos Quartet and Scott Fraser. Recorded by Scott Fraser on March 18, 2011, at Nelson Music Room, Duke University, Durham, NC. Mixed by Scott Fraser at Architecture, Los Angeles, CA.
An Buachaillín Bán. Produced by Judith Sherman. Recorded by Leslie Ann Jones on August 17 & 18, 2002, at Skywalker Sound, Nicasio, CA. Assistant Engineers: Andre Zweers, Dann Thompson. Editing Assistant: Jeanne Velonis. Mixed by John Kilgore and Judith Sherman at Masque Sound, New York.
The Round Sun and Crescent Moon in the Sky. Produced by Scott Fraser. Recorded by Scott Fraser in February 2010 at Z Space, San Francisco, CA.
Rangin Kaman. Produced by David Harrington, Theodore Levin, and Fairouz R. Nishanova. Recorded by Joel Gordon in March 2009 at Skywalker Sound, Nicasio, CA. Assistant Recording Engineers: David Corcoran, Scott Fraser, Dann Michael Thompson. Edited and mixed by Rafael Popper-Keizer, Joel Gordon, and David Harrington.
Smyrneiko Minore. Produced by Kronos Quartet. Recorded by Dick Wahlberg on August 6, 2013, at Wahlberg Recording Studio and Archive, San Francisco, CA. Sound Editor: JJ Hollingsworth.
Cry of a Lady. Produced by Judith Sherman. Recorded in Los Angeles on March 31, 1990.
Mera Kuchh Saaman. Produced by David Harrington. Co-produced by Scott Fraser and Judith Sherman. Recorded by Scott Fraser in July 2004 at The Plant, Sausalito, CA. Assistant Engineer: Enrique Gonzales Müller. Zakir Hussain recorded by Scott Fraser on June 9–10, 2004, at Studio D Recording, Sausalito, CA. Assistant Engineer: Mark Dimmitt. Edited and mixed by Scott Fraser and David Harrington at Architecture, Los Angeles, CA. Additional editing assistance by Jay Cloidt. Mastered by Scott Fraser at Architecture.
Asleep. Produced by Judith Sherman. Recorded by Judith Sherman, Rob Eaton, Dave O’Donnell and Dan Gellert in November 1989 at Power Station, New York, NY.
Danny Boy. Recorded by Andy Murphy on April 12, 1997, at Bass Concert Hall, The University of Texas, Austin, TX. Edited and mixed by Scott Fraser at Architecture, Los Angeles, CA.
Compilation mastered by Robert C. Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, ME
Design by Evan Gaffney Design
Cover Art by Sam Reveles; "Mandala Painting for Cd. Juarez, No.2," 2009-10, (detail), Private Collection, Courtesy Talley Dunn Gallery
Project Supervisor for Kronos: Sidney Chen
Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz
This arrangement of Tusen Tankar was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by the Angel Stoyanof Commission Fund.
Stephen Prutsman’s arrangement of Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground by Blind Willie Johnson and Dana Brayton’s arrangement of Danny Boy were commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by the Kronos Performing Arts Association.
Jacob Garchik’s arrangements of La Sidounak Sayyada, Lưu thủy trường, and Smyrneiko Minore were commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by the David Harrington Research and Development Fund.
Stephen Prutsman’s arrangement of Gétatchèw Mèkurya’s Aha gèdawo was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by Judithe Bizot.
This arrangement of An Buachaillín Bán was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet and Tony MacMahon by Stanford Lively Arts, Stanford University, and Stephen K. Cassidy.
Jacob Garchik’s arrangement of The Round Sun and Crescent Moon in the Sky was part of A Chinese Home, commissioned for the Kronos Quartet and Wu Man by Carnegie Hall and the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. A Chinese Home was co-commissioned by the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland at College Park, with funds from The Leading College and University Presenters Program of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Florida State University’s Seven Days of Opening Nights; Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Stanford Lively Arts, Stanford University. Additional support was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Stephen Prutsman’s arrangement of Eviç Taksim was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by Angel and Priscilla Stoyanof.
Homayun Sakhi’s Rangin Kaman, arranged by Stephen Prutsman, was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet and Homayun Sakhi by the Aga Khan Music Initiative, a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, and the Columbia Foundation. Additional commission funds were provided by The James Irvine Foundation, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the LEF Foundation.
Terry Riley’s Cry of a Lady was written for the Kronos Quartet and Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares.
Judith Berkson’s arrangement of Sim Sholom was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by the David Harrington Research & Development Fund, and is part of a five-song cycle dedicated to the memory of Harold Goldberg.
David Harrington’s arrangement of Mera Kuchh Saaman by Rahul Dev Burman was written for the Kronos Quartet.
Astor Piazzolla’s Five Tango Sensations was written for the Kronos Quartet and Astor Piazzolla.
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MUSICIANS
Kronos Quartet:
David Harrington, violin
John Sherba, violin
Hank Dutt, viola
Sunny Yang, cello (tracks 1, 3, 8, 10, 12)
Joan Jeanrenaud, cello (tracks 11, 14, 15)
Jennifer Culp, cello (tracks 6, 13)
Jeffrey Zeigler, cello (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
with
Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ, đàn Tranh (4)
Tony MacMahon, accordion (6)
Wu Man, pipa (7, 13)
Homayun Sakhi, rubab (9)
Salar Nader, table (9)
Abbos Kosimov, doyra, qayraq (9)
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Dora Hristova, conductor (11)
Asha Bhosle, vocals (13)
Zakir Hussain, tabla (13)
Astor Piazzolla, bandoneón (14)
Don Walser and The Pure Texas Band (15): Don Walser, vocals; Phillip Fajardo, drums; Howard Kalish, fiddle, electric guitar; Scott Walls, steel guitar; Don Keeling, bass
