Barbican, London
The UK premiere of a dazzling electro-folk collaboration between Kronos and two Finnish musicians was a thrilling blitz of sound
The UK premiere of a dazzling electro-folk collaboration between Kronos and two Finnish musicians was a thrilling blitz of sound
Even by Kronos Quartet standards, this was a exhilarating performance. The adventurous Americans have constantly pushed forward the musical boundaries for a string quartet, collaborating with artists from across the globe, while reworking anything from jazz and world music to the avant-garde. Nine years ago, in Helsinki, they gave the world premiere of a work that they had commissioned two Finnish musicians to write, and now, at last, it received its first performance in the UK. Uniko was a constantly shifting kaleidoscope of avant-garde electronica, global folk styles and classical influences, with surround-sound and visual effects added in. It was an extraordinary piece of music.
On stage the Kronos members, playing violins, viola and cello, were flanked by the Finns. To one side was the wild-looking figure of Kimmo Pohjonen, adding accordion and with a barrage of pedals at his feet to alter the sound, and on the other was Samuli Kosminen, adding samples and effects and tapping out electronic percussion. They started gently, with a wash of effects that echoed anything from breathing to the sea, then moved on to a sturdy lyrical string theme, an upbeat section with echoes of the Middle East, then switched back to the quietly lyrical before exploding into a furious burst of discordant noise, with sounds now coming from all around the hall and Pohjonen adding treated vocal effects to his furious accordion work.
The changes kept coming. The second section began with electro-percussion, switched to a melodic strings-and-accordion work-out that suddenly gave way to a gentle blitz of buzzing electronics and a grand, galloping theme that would have made a glorious film soundtrack. This was adventurous, atmospheric music that entertained and constantly surprised. The only disappointments were the screen projections, often reminiscent of an early Pink Floyd light show. Cutting-edge music required cutting-edge visuals.
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