For almost 50 years, the San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet has been pushing the boundaries of what a string ensemble can achieve, across more than 70 recordings and a vast array of collaborations with composers and performers all keen to explore and experiment.

So when the quartet recently announced its upcoming eighth Australian tour in March would be its last foray Down Under, such finality seemed a little against the grain of founder and first violinist David Harrington’s open-ended criterion of collaboration with fellow musical travellers: to have an “ongoing conversation” throughout their lives.

Kronos Quartet

Kronos Quartet © Musical Instrument Museum

Among the many notables to play over five decades with Kronos – a name Harrington chose from the Greek word chronos, for that essential musical element of time – are Laurie Anderson, Bryce Dessner from The National, American minimalist composer Terry Riley and Chinese composer Wu Man, to name but a few.

Harrington, 73, delves into classical history when he speaks to Limelight via video conference to explain why he always hopes such artists and Kronos will cross paths again.

“Basically, how many...