This weekend, Kronos performed the world premiere of Angélica Negrón’s Marejada for the Requiem for Justice festival, an international online rally of artists, activists, and thinkers.
Kronos’ latest addition to its 50 for the Future repertoire, Marejada was created specifically to be played in a video conferencing environment.
Watch Kronos’ performance below, and visit Angélica’s 50 for the Future page to access the newly released score & parts, artwork, composer interview, and more for Marejada, all free of charge.
FROM THE program NOTES:
“When Kronos approached me in March 2020 to write a piece for them to rehearse and perform together during this difficult moment of social isolation, I wanted to create something playful and rhythmic yet flexible and malleable that would be fun to put together. Something that responded directly to the challenges during this time of performing music together while not being able to be together in the same room. But also, something that took into consideration the limitations of the video communications platforms and use those challenges as compositional material and creative impulse. The natural delay, the canceling of sound frequencies and the inability for everyone to fully play together at the same time and in perfect synchronization, are all challenges that I decided to embrace as unique elements that make this piece thrive even within the limitations of the medium.
“Marejada is an invitation to sonically escape from your room and to actively imagine and immerse yourself in a different place and time.”
—Angélica Negrón
This online release adds to previously published pieces by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Laurie Anderson, Mark Applebaum, Ken Benshoof, Raven Chacon, Islam Chipsy, Aftab Darvishi, Fodé Lassana Diabaté, Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté, Mario Galeano Toro, Guillermo Galindo, Rhiannon Giddens, Philip Glass, Yotam Haber, Zakir Hussain, Susie Ibarra, Joan Jeanrenaud, Garth Knox, Aleksander Kościów, Nicole Lizée, Lu Yun, Soo Yeon Lyuh, Vladimir Martynov, Onutė Narbutaitė, Jlin Patton, Kala Ramnath, Karin Rehnqvist, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Trey Spruance, Tanya Tagaq, Stephan Thelen, Henry Threadgill, Merlijn Twaalfhoven, Aleksandra Vrebalov and Wu Man, bringing this learning library of contemporary repertoire for string quartets to a total of 36 works. When completed, this collection will feature 50 new string quartets composed by an eclectic, international group of 25 women and 25 men. Kronos’ 50 for the Future is devoted to the most contemporary approaches to the string quartet and designed expressly for the training of students and emerging professionals. Launched in 2015 by the Kronos Performing Arts Association with Lead Partner Carnegie Hall, the initial scores have been downloaded more than 18,200 times in 94 countries and territories worldwide.
