Floodplain - Kronos Quartet (2009)

This was a favorite of mine when it came out, but I haven’t listened to it in a minute. I was happy to listen again.

Kronos is probably the best-known string quartet in the world. This is partly because they don’t just stick to the western classical repertoire. Mendelssohn wrote great quartets, but how many times do we need new recordings of them?

Kronos likes to commission new work from living composers (easier than commissioning it from the dead ones, i reckon) and to find inspiration and material from all over the world.

Floodplain is referring maybe not just to Mesopotamia, but to the earliest emergence of civilization along rivers. The quartet delves into music from the middle east, north Africa, India, and eastern Europe. Some original commissions along with traditional music arranged for string quartet.

It’s an engrossing listen.

Tracks I Liked

Tashweesh (Interference) - alongside Palestinian collective Ramallah Underground

Wa Habibi - a hymn from Lebanon

Nihavent Sirto - Ottoman classical music