KRONOS presents a free library of fifty contemporary works designed to guide string quartets in developing and honing the skills required for the performance of 21st-century repertoire.
Summer Release 2022
FINAL seven 50 for the Future pieces available now!
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Reqs (Dance)
Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
Azerbaijan
“Rǝqs means ‘dance’ in Azerbaijani as well as in all other Turkic languages. In Azerbaijan, many different dances have existed since time immemorial: for men and women, heroic and lyric, fast and slow. In this piece, I have attempted to reflect some of the rhythms and configurations of Azerbaijani dances."
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Little Black Book
Jlin
“I chose the name Little Black Book because there is a black notebook that I own that I literally write down every creative idea I have in it. It is my book of absolute freedom. When Kronos approached me about doing this project I was quite ecstatic, and immediately knew I wanted to take this on from a perspective of absolute freedom of sound."
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Yessori
Soo Yeon Lyuh
Korea / USA
“I composed Yessori (옛소리), which is Korean for ‘sound from the past,’ using improvisations on the haegeum in the style of traditional Korean music. I then adapted the distinctive techniques, vibrato, and articulations for string quartet. Over the past two decades of studying the haegeum, I came to love these unique qualities and am excited to share them through Yessori."
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When I see young musicians exploring this repertoire, I feel incredibly optimistic about the future. Because the composer selection is so global, the repertoire draws from all different kinds of backgrounds, which really comes through in the presentation of their pieces. It allows you and, in a way, challenges you to broaden your perspective on what music is, what diversity is, and what kind of world we live in."
Featured Technique
Composer Mark Applebaum demonstrates how to perform the hand gestures in "Flashlight," his piece for Kronos' Fifty for the Future.
What would happen if we could, through our years of working with hundreds of composers from many places, make a body of incredibly interesting, fun music that could serve the next generation as a launching pad to a world of discovery?”
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