Pieces Of Africa

About

Released in 1992, <i>Pieces of Africa</i> is a colorful and thought-provoking collection of music by African and South African composer. On several track, the quartet is joined by the joyous sound of traditional African instruments and vocal. The variety on offer reflects the cultural diversity of this vast continent—<i>Saade</i> (<i>I’m Happy</i>), by Moroccan composer Hassan Hakmoun, is flavored with Middle Eastern melodic inflection. Egyptian Sudanese Hamza El Din’s hypnotic <i>Escalay</i> (<i>Waterwheel</i>) is a powerful expression of a community’s grief as its village is lost to the Aswan Dam. And South African composer Kevin Volans’ <i>White Man Sleeps</i>, the most traditionally “classical” of the piece, draws on myriad tribal cultures from across his homeland. The final track, Zimbabwean Dumisani Maraire’s <i>Kutambarara</i> (<i>Spreading</i>), is a glorious hymn to Africa’s freedom from Western oppression. Like many Kronos Quartet project, <i>Pieces of Africa</i> came together through chance introductions and serendipity. As the ensemble’s founder and leader David Harrington tells Apple Music Classical, Kronos was introduced to the music of Hamza El Din by minimalist pioneer Terry Riley after he heard the quartet perform Kevin Volans’ <i>White Man Sleeps</i>. “Something similar happened with Philip Gla,” says Harrington, “who introduced me to the Gambian musician and composer Foday Musa Suso. So <i>Pieces of Africa</i> started out as one piece by an African-born composer, and slowly over a period of eight years it became an album.” .

via Apple Music

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