Connoisseurs of American chamber music may already know of Ben Johnston's inventive and witty string quartets, but find their absence on CD quite perplexing. This is music of great integrity, startling vitality, and striking originality, yet it is virtually unknown outside the cult following that has appreciated these ingenious compositions in live performances. Fortunately, the Kepler Quartet has begun recording the cycle of Johnston's 10 string quartets for New World Records, to be issued in three volumes; if this first ...
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Connoisseurs of American chamber music may already know of Ben Johnston's inventive and witty string quartets, but find their absence on CD quite perplexing. This is music of great integrity, startling vitality, and striking originality, yet it is virtually unknown outside the cult following that has appreciated these ingenious compositions in live performances. Fortunately, the Kepler Quartet has begun recording the cycle of Johnston's 10 string quartets for New World Records, to be issued in three volumes; if this first installment gives any indication of things to come, the whole set will be essential for all of Johnston's admirers to know and own. A cross between homespun American populism and the sophisticated experimentation of the avant-garde, Johnston's music follows in the iconoclastic tradition of Ives, Partch, and Cage, but with its own frank expression, exuberance, and wayward charm; yet it is also accessible to the casual listener in the directness of its material and the clarity of its...
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Add this copy of Ben Johnston String Quartets Nos. 2 - 4, 9 to cart. $17.62, like new condition, Sold by New England Booksellers rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Greenfield, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by New World Records.
Add this copy of Ben Johnston String Quartets Nos. 2 - 4, 9 to cart. $43.68, new condition, Sold by Entertainment by Post - UK rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BRISTOL, SOUTH GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2006 by New World Records.
