Kronos’s final Australian tour begins in Albany, then Perth Festival with Noongar language composer Maatakitj and local youth string quartets. Is local engagement Kronos’s ultimate legacy?
When we show up in a city, we’re involved with younger quartets, every time. Is that a legacy thing? You tell me! I’m not sure. [Performing with First Nations artists] is something I have wanted to do since the first time we went to Australia, in 1984. So, this is a dream situation.
Kronos Quartet © Musical Instrument Museum
You bonded with Maatakitj over a shared love of Jimi Hendrix. Why is Kronos keen to push boundaries?
It goes back to the beginnings of Kronos, in 1973. The American war in Vietnam was still so much a part of our culture, and a lot of people my age were looking for music that felt right to play. I heard Black Angels by George Crumb on the radio. It brought together Hendrix, Renaissance music, Schubert and crystal glasses, experimental sounds, gongs and maracas. It was so fabulous, plus amplified: you could play it loud.
Why do you always envision an ongoing...
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