New Music for String Quartet (Special Podcast)

What this episode covers

Hear unusual music for string quartet on this program, as Australian composer Andrew Byrne, now based in New York, uses the string quartet as a percussion instrument in his work called “Striking.” Then, listen to Bang on a Can All-Star saxman, clarinetist and composer Ken Thomson’s work for the JACK Quartet, “THAW.” There’s also folk-informed music from the singer, songwriter and composer Aoife O Donovan as played by Brooklyn Rider. Hear string quartet music by multi-instrumentalist composer Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ, who plays a traditional Vietnamese string instrument on “Green River Delta,” in collaboration with Kronos Quartet. Plus, hear a work from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams that uses the string quartet as an ambient music ensemble, relying upon harmonics and on tones played on open strings. That, and more. PROGRAM #3686 Music for String Quartet (First aired on 1/21/2015)   ARTIST(S) RECORDING CUT(S) SOURCE Ken Thomson (JACK quartet) THAW Thaw, excerpt [1:41] Cantaloupe Records 21095 bangonacan.org Members of Either/Or Ensemble Striking; Whispers and Cries Andrew Byrne: Striking Parts 1 & 2 [7:32] Available for purchase directly through composer here: andrewbyrne.com JACK Quartet John Luther Adams: The Wind in High Places John Luther Adams: The Wind in High Places - Above Sunset Pass [7:24] Cold Blue Music CBM 41 coldbluemusic.com Ken Thomson (JACK quartet) THAW THAW: Thaw [10:55] Cantaloupe Music 21095 bangonacan.org Brooklyn Rider Almanac Aoife O'Donovan: Show Me [4:56] Mercury Classics / In A Circle Records #002159302 mercuryclassics.com Available at iTunes, Amazon.com, Emusic.com Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ with Kronos Quartet  Three-Mountain Pass Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ: Green River Delta/Luu Thuy Truong [4:40] Innova 866 innova.mu   Members of Either/Or Ensemble Striking; Whispers and Cries Andrew Byrne: Striking Parts 3 & 4 [8:30] Available for purchase directly through composer here: andrewbyrne.com