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Del Sol String Quartet

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Sono Luminus

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DEL SOL STRING QUARTET - Chasqui: Gabriela Lena Frank
DEL SOL STRING QUARTET - Estampie, Lou Harrison
STRINGWRECK Extended Trailer - Del Sol String Quartet and Garrett+Moulton Productions
Feona Lee Jones ? String Quartet No. 2 "Adrenaline" [Dress Rehearsal] ? Del Sol String Quartet
1 Frank: An Andean Walkabout/Toyos  
2 Frank: An Andean Walkabout/Tarqueada  
3 Frank: An Andean Walkabout/Himno de Zamponas  
4 Frank: An Andean Walkabout/Chasqui  
5 Frank: An Andean Walkabout/Canto de Volorio  
6 Frank: An Andean Walkabout/Coqueteos  
7 Harrison:String Quar. Set/Vogelweide Song  
8 Harrison:String Quar. Set/Plaint  
9 Harrison:String Quar. Set/Estampie  
10 Harrison:String Quar. Set/Rondeaux  
11 Harrison:String Quar. Set/Usul  
12 Evangelista: Spanish Garland  
13 Vali: Nayshaboorak (Calligraphy #6)  
14 Kats-Chernin: Fast Blue Village 2  
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The Zia Indians' symbol for the sacred sun captures the adventurous spirit and global pulse of this CD from Sono Luminus and the award winning Del Sol String Quartet. The composers represented-Gabriela Lena Frank, Lou Harrison, José Evangelista, Reza Vali and Elena Kats-Chernin-all trained in the Western European tradition, reach back to ancient and traditional folk music sources and cultures from Peru, Turkey, Spain, Iran, and Uzbekistan in creating vibrant new music for string quartet.

While the five contemporary composers on this CD are deeply tied to the Western European music tradition--especially its system of notation--they draw on ancient and traditional folk music from four corners of the world and make it new by incorporating techniques such as inventive intonations or heterophony.

The eldest of these, Lou Harrison (1917-2003), was encouraged to view the world's vast array of traditional music influences by his teacher, Henry Cowell (1894-1965).

Cowell went beyond his predecessors (Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov, Bartok, and others) by proselytizing for in-depth studies of music in Asia, Africa, Central and South America and what we call the "Middle East," rather than just a few selected European ethnicities. In retrospect, his lifelong work created a more welcoming environment for those who emerged after his death, including José Evangelista, b. 1943, Reza Vali, b. 1952, Elena Kats-Chernin, b. 1957, and Gabriela Lena Frank, b. 1972.

The San Francisco based Del Sol String Quartet, founded in 1992, has long made a practice of fostering contemporary music from throughout the entire Western Hemisphere, working with the composers themselves whenever possible. Since Del Sol released their first commercial CD in 2002 focused on music of the Americas, their recorded repertoire has expanded to composers of the Pacific Rim (Ring of Fire (2008)), historical antecedents--the complete quartets of George Antheil (2005) and Mark Blitzstein (2009)--and, by this release, a more global scope, with influences from Peru, Turkey, Spain, Iran, and Uzbekistan. Del Sol's approach is distinguished by selecting music originally composed for string quartet rather than arrangements referencing traditional folk music.

  • Alam Khan, Arjun K. Verma, & Del Sol Quartet release unique Indo-European album / IndiaCurrents
    Posted At: September 15, 2023
    The Resonance Between, out TODAY!! is a new album featuring groundbreaking fusion of Indian and European classical music stylesIndiaCurrents writes….The Resonance Between (TRB)  is the new collaborative project of artists Alam Khan, Arjun K. Verma, and Del Sol Quartet — an ensemble of remarkably synergistic vision and virtuosity.Despite their many aesthetic similarities, Indian classical and European c...

  • Alam Khan, Arjun Verma, and the Del Sol Quartet join forces for: 'The Resonance Between' / World Music Central
    Posted At: September 13, 2023
    World Music Central's Claudia Taylor writes…..The Resonance Between is a groundbreaking collaboration among artists Alam Khan (sarod), Arjun K. Verma (sitar), and the Del Sol Quartet. This project fuses Indian and European classical music along with modern western influences in a way that goes beyond mere juxtaposition, creating a contemporary instrumental sound that harmoniously combines the two traditions...

  • Huang Ruos hour-long passacaglia for strings, A Dust in Time, is judiciously paced by the Del Sol Quartet / LIMELIGHT
    Posted At: January 17, 2022
    A Dust in Time Del Sol String Quartet is a heartfelt response to COVID isolation ardently, eloquently performed.LIMELIGHT's Michael Quinn writes….Huang Ruo’s hour-long passacaglia for strings, A Dust in Time, is a contemplative response to the composer’s experience of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Slow, measured, thoughtful and sincere, it offers a gravely beautiful, often moving refuge from the s...

  • Del Sol celebrates their 25th with Whole Sol / KQED
    Posted At: November 9, 2017

    The Del Sol String Quartet is a Bay Area treasure and to celebrate its 25th anniversary, they've put together the Whole Sol Festival, which is sure to be a knockout set of shows. For the festival, Del Sol's members - Benjamin Kreith (violin), Rick Shinozaki (violin), Charlton Lee (viola), and Kathryn Bates (cello) - are playing the work of two generations of California composers. One piece comes from Ter...

  • Del Sol String Quartet and Terry Riley collab for Dark Queen Mantra / popmatters
    Posted At: October 13, 2017

    Dark Queen Mantra, both the composition and the album itself, represent a collaboration between the Del Sol String Quartet and legendary composer Terry Riley. Now in their 25th year, Del Sol have consistently championed modern music through their extensive recordings (eleven to date), community and educational outreach efforts, and performances stretching from concert halls and the Library of Congress to...

  • Sono Luminus set to release: Terry Riley's - Dark Queen Mantra for Del Sol Quartet and Gyan Riley / BroadwayWorld
    Posted At: June 28, 2017

    p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} Sono Luminus announces the August 25, 2017 worldwide release of Dark Queen Mantra, a new recording from Del Sol String Quartet featuring new music by Terry Riley and Stefano Scodanibbio. The album includes Terry Riley's Dark Queen Mantra (2015) written for Del Sol and Terry Riley's son, guitarist Gyan Riley; Mas Lugares (su Madri...

  • Del Sol String Quartet plays all Samuel Barber concert at Santa Fe Opera / Santa Fe New Mexican
    Posted At: July 23, 2016

    Samuel Barber, whose Vanessaopens at Santa Fe Opera on July 30, wrote rather little chamber music, but what he did produce includes some pieces of high quality and staying power. The Del Sol String Quartet, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is most known for its intrepid forays to the front lines of the avant-garde. It will be interesting to hear them in the more conservative language of early Ba...

  • Del Sol Quartet plays Library of Congress / Washington Post
    Posted At: May 2, 2016

    The Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress presented an intriguing concert that included a world premiere by Frederic Rzewski and a local premiere of the Tenth String Quartet by Ben Johnston. The evening incidentally honored Rzewski's 78th birthday in April and Johnston's 90th in March. Rzewski took the stage for the first half, playing two recent solo works, "Winter Nights" and "Flowers." It's h...

  • Del Sol String Quartet bring Soundings 3.2 to SF's Center for New Music / examiner.com
    Posted At: February 11, 2016

    Last night the members of the Del Sol String Quartet, violinists Benjamin Kreith and Rick Shinozaki, violist Charlton Lee, and cellist Kathryn Bates, brought Soundings 3.2, the second installment in this season's Soundings project, to the Center for New Music. Each performance in the project pairs the work of a single contemporary composer with that of a local visual artist. While this is an adventurous ...

  • Del Sol String Quartet presents Terry Riley's - Mythic Birds Waltz / examiner review
    Posted At: October 31, 2015

    Last night the Center for New Music hosted the launch of the third season of the Soundings project presented by the Del Sol String Quartet (violinists Benjamin Kreith and Rick Shinozaki, violist Charlton Lee, and cellist Kathryn Bates). Each program in the series focuses on a single major musical work by a contemporary composer paired with artwork commissioned from an emerging visual artist. In recogniti...

  • Del Sol String Quartet - Sculthorpe@Other Minds Festival / SF Gate
    Posted At: March 8, 2015

    The figure whose voice rang out most clearly and poignantly last Friday March 6 at the at 'Other Minds Festival' was Peter Sculthorpe, the soulful and wonderfully expressive Australian composer who died last summer at 85. Sculthorpe's music is often concerned with the landscape (both physical and emotional) of his native country, and his String Quartet No. 14, "Quamby," which concluded the progra...

  • The Del Sol String Quartet continues its ?Soundings? Project@San Francisco's - Center For New Music
    Posted At: February 4, 2015

    The Del Sol String Quartet continued its "Soundings" Project with a series of three unique concerts in January, April and June exploring the interface between new music and visual art. The series presents music by three living composers paired with new artworks commissioned from visual artists working in a variety of media. On each concert program Del Sol explores in depth a major piece by a contempo...

  • Del Sol Quartet - Sculthorpe Quartets with Didjeridu / KDFC State Of the Arts interview
    Posted At: October 13, 2014

    The Tasmanian composer Peter Sculthorpe wrote many string quartets, but because he wanted to respect Aboriginal culture, he didn't begin to write for the unlikely combination of quartet and didjeridu until he was asked to by an indigenous musician in 2001. Del Sol Quartet has just released a CD set with Stephen Kent of the four Sculthorpe Quartets with Didjeridu, a project many ye...

  • Del Sol String Quartet performs and records Peter Sculthorpe's string quartets, just as composer dies
    Posted At: August 16, 2014

    In a sad coincidence, Del Sol String Quartet is both performing live and publishing a recording of Peter Sculthorpe's string quartets, just as news arrives of the composer's death. Sculthorpe, Australia's most famous composer, died on Aug. 8, at age 85. Del Sol teamed up with didjeridu virtuoso Stephen Kent for performance dates Sept. 20-21 in San Francisco; Sept. 28 at Cabrillo College, Aptos; N...

  • The spirit of the Zia Indians on new CD by the Del Sol String Quartet
    Posted At: May 24, 2013

    "Robust, finely blended ensemble playing, rhythmic alertness and a fearless willingness to take on a wide range of contemporary repertoire. A nice study in contrasts, with the brawny folk-dance rhythms of Gabriela Lena Frank's "Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout" leading into the more serene charms of Lou Harrison's "String Quartet Set." The quartet brings grace and fluidity to "Spanish Garland," Jos&...
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